Former Fauci adviser indicted for allegedly concealing communications related to COVID-19 research
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department said Tuesday that Dr. A former senior adviser to Anthony Fauci has been indicted on federal charges for allegedly conspiring to conceal communications about COVID-19 research as the pandemic raged across the country, officials said.
78 year old Dr. David Morens is accused of using his private email account to intentionally circumvent public records laws while working at the National Institutes of Health. The Justice Department claims it concealed or destroyed records of discussions about COVID-19 research grants, including an effort to revive a controversial coronavirus grant.
“These allegations represent a profound breach of trust at a time when the American people need it most – at the height of the global pandemic,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement Tuesday. “Government officials have a solemn duty to present honest, well-founded facts and recommendations in the public interest and not to advance their own personal or ideological agendas.”
Morens is charged with conspiracy against the United States; destruction, alteration or falsification of records in federal investigations; concealing, removing or falsifying records; aiding and abetting, according to a Department of Justice news release. If convicted, he could face decades in prison. Morens’ lawyer declined to comment.
The indictment reflects Republicans’ long-standing belief that the federal government concealed crucial information about Covid-19 as the pandemic unfolded. Despite numerous investigations Origins of COVID has never been proven. Scientists are unsure whether the virus jumped from an animal, like many other viruses, or whether it resulted from a laboratory accident. A. US intelligence analysis The report, published in 2023, stated that there was not enough evidence to prove either theory.
Blanche said Morens’ alleged behavior was part of an effort to “suppress alternative theories” about the origins of Covid-19. The Justice Department also accused Morens of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a co-conspirator, including accepting gifts of wine and discussing COVID-19 research and potential publications in a leading medical journal.
The indictment follows an investigation by House Republicans into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, which examined Morens’ email communications and accused him of deliberately concealing records. In his congressional testimony, Morens denied trying to evade federal transparency laws by using his personal email.
