In a shocking revelation, Dr. David Morens, a senior adviser to the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has been implicated in an email tampering scandal designed to evade public scrutiny over COVID-19 origins.
Documents obtained by the U.S. House of Representatives Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic show Morens boasting about methods to make sensitive emails “disappear” in the face of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
According to emails, Morens communicated with EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak, stating he had learned from an NIH FOIA officer how to manipulate email records to avoid future FOIA inquiries.
Morens wrote in an email dated February 24, 2021, “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.”
This raises serious questions about the integrity of government operations and the transparency of its dealings, particularly concerning the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Responding to the revelations, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to launch a formal investigation, stating, “The emails provide strong evidence that Dr. Morens violated federal law by concealing and destroying federal records.”
During his testimony before the subcommittee, Morens attempted to downplay the severity of his actions, claiming ignorance of the fact that emails were federal records. “I was not aware that emails were federal records,” Morens stated, further asserting, “It’s my understanding, if they want to, they can go back all the way to the beginning,” indicating a belief in the recoverability of any deleted emails.
The subcommittee’s findings also implicated Dr. Anthony Fauci, Morens’ long-time superior at NIAID, suggesting potential involvement in secretive practices.
Fauci may have engaged in secretive communications meant to obscure the details of NIH funding directed to controversial gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. This research, closely tied to the pandemic’s origin, has been a point of contention and conspiracy theories, further fueled by these latest disclosures.
In one instance, Morens advised colleagues on the safety of communication via private channels: “my gmail is now safe from FOIA … thus it should be safe to communicate safely with you,” highlighting the deliberate efforts to shield communications from public access.
Michael Chamberlain, director of Protect the Public’s Trust, commented on the breaches, stressing the obligation federal employees bear:
“Federal employees are obligated to preserve federal records, which generally includes emails. There’s a very good reason for this—the public has the right to expect the business of government to be conducted in the open. Destroying records for the express purpose of evading FOIA is a blatant and egregious violation of this obligation and should be treated as such.”
The implications of these actions are profound, touching on the heart of public trust in federal health institutions. Dr. Lawrence Tabak, deputy director of the National Institutes of Health, confirmed Morens’ ongoing employment with the government, which continues to stir concerns among lawmakers and the public alike.
Republican and Democratic members of the subcommittee have united in their criticism of Morens’ actions. Representative Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), chairman of the subcommittee, emphasized the impact of these revelations on the credibility of NIAID and NIH leadership.
The Department of Justice has yet to respond to Senator Paul’s call for an investigation.
As the case attracts widespread attention, lawmakers are calling for transparency and accountability, underlining the necessity for ethical conduct in managing the nation’s health crises and scientific inquiries.