Troubling Revelations from the COVID-19 Investigations
Senior advisers to Dr. Fauci accused of using unethical tactics to protect themselves and their allies, sparking outrage over the breach of public trust.
The Facts:
The Covid-19 pandemic has been marked by a persistent lack of transparency from government officials.
Emails released by the U.S. House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic have revealed that Anthony Fauci's former top adviser, David Morens, worked to keep the public in the dark and thwart investigations into the origins of the pandemic.
The committee found that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance, which received NIH funding for research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, failed to properly monitor the risky experiments being conducted on coronaviruses.
Morens, a senior adviser to Fauci, sought to conceal these lapses by rallying to the defense of EcoHealth's president, Peter Daszak. In one email, Morens wrote to Daszak, "I have learned there are ongoing efforts within NIH to steer through this with minimal damage to you, Peter, and colleagues, and to NIH and NIAID. I have reasons to believe that there are already efforts going on to protect you." (NIAID is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which Dr. Fauci directed from 1984 through 2022.)
Morens also helped edit EcoHealth's press releases and worked to get its funding restored after it was suspended by the Trump administration. Furthermore, Morens admitted to learning "how to make emails disappear" after being subjected to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, stating, "I learned from our FOIA lady here how to make emails disappear after I am FOIA'd but before the search starts, so I think we are all safe."
He also deleted "most of those earlier emails" and sent some to his personal Gmail account to avoid disclosure. Another email revealed that Morens believed Fauci was also using a private Gmail account to avoid FOIA requests, writing, "I can either send stuff to Tony on his private gmail, or hand it to him at work or at his house. He is too smart to let colleagues send him stuff that could cause trouble."
The House investigation also uncovered evidence that a second NIH official, Greg Folkers, who was the chief of staff to Fauci, attempted to evade public records laws by misspelling the name of EcoHealth Alliance and a prominent virologist, Kristian Andersen, in emails to avoid being caught in keyword searches.
The View:
The revelations from the House investigation paint a troubling picture of how senior government officials at the NIH and within Fauci's inner circle sought to actively conceal information from the public and thwart legitimate inquiries into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The actions of Morens and Folkers represent a disturbing breach of the public's trust and a blatant disregard for transparency and accountability in government. The fact that Morens admitted to learning "tricks" from the NIH's FOIA office on how to make emails "disappear" before they could be searched is particularly egregious. If true, this would suggest a coordinated effort within the agency to help officials circumvent federal records laws, which is an unacceptable and deeply concerning abuse of power.
The references to Fauci's potential use of a private email account to receive sensitive information from Morens further compounds the troubling nature of these revelations. The American people deserve open and honest government, not a shadowy network of officials working to obscure the truth and protect their own reputations. This investigation is a stark illustration of why public trust in public health institutions has eroded during the pandemic.
The apparent actions of Morens, Folkers, and potentially Fauci himself have undermined the credibility of these agencies and call into question their commitment to transparency and scientific integrity. The House panel's findings warrant serious consequences, including potential cuts to NIH funding, as a means of holding these officials accountable and sending a clear message that such behavior will not be tolerated.
The American people deserve far better from their government, and these revelations represent a profound betrayal of the public's trust.
TLDR:
Emails reveal that Anthony Fauci's former top adviser, David Morens, worked to keep the public in the dark and thwart investigations into the origins of the pandemic.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance failed to properly monitor risky experiments on coronaviruses conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Morens sought to conceal these lapses by defending EcoHealth's president, Peter Daszak, and admitted to learning "how to make emails disappear" after FOIA requests.
Another NIH official, Greg Folkers, attempted to evade public records laws by misspelling names in emails to avoid keyword searches.
Allegations that Fauci may have used a private Gmail account to receive sensitive information from Morens further compound the concerns.
The actions of these officials have undermined the credibility of public health institutions and eroded public trust, calling for serious consequences and a renewed commitment to transparency.
Insights From:
Health Officials Tried to Evade Public Records Laws, Lawmakers Say - The New York Times
What Was Anthony Fauci’s Top Aide Hiding? - Wall Street Journal