The Department of Justice announced Tuesday it has indicted a top Fauci-era National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases employee for allegedly taking part in a scheme to conceal federal records regarding COVID-19 research grants.
The DOJ said that David Morens, 78, has been charged with conspiracy against the U.S., which includes destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations, concealment, removal or mutilation of records as well as aiding and abetting. From 2006 to 2022, Morens served as a senior advisor to former NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci.
According to the indictment, Morens, two unnamed co-conspirators, and others allegedly conspired during the COVID-19 pandemic to defraud the U.S. and commit related offenses after the NIH terminated one of the co-conspirators’ grant. The grant, named “Understanding the Risk of Bat Coronavirus Emergence,” was terminated following allegations that COVID-19 originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in Wuhan, China. NIAID had awarded the grant to company #1 and co-conspirator 1, who in turn issued a subaward to the WIV, according to the DOJ.
In the aftermath of the termination, Morens and co-conspirator 2 reportedly committed to helping Co-Conspirator 1 reinstate the grant and push back against claims that COVID-19 resulted from a laboratory leak, according to the DOJ. Anticipating that their communications might be subject to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, Morens, Co-Conspirator 1, and Co-Conspirator 2 allegedly agreed in writing to conceal their correspondence from public disclosure by using Morens’s personal Gmail account instead of his official NIH email.
“These allegations represent a profound abuse of trust at a time when the American people needed it most—during the height of a global pandemic,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a Tuesday statement. “As alleged in the indictment, Dr. Morens and his co-conspirators deliberately concealed information and falsified records in an effort to suppress alternative theories regarding the origins of COVID-19.”
“Government officials have a solemn duty to provide honest, well-grounded facts and advice in service of the public interest—not to advance their own personal or ideological agendas,” Blanche added.
During his time as a senior advisor, Morens advised Fauci and other high-level NIAID staff on policy matters, developed recommendations and solutions for issues impacting the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and also contributed to writing and editing manuscripts, according to the DOJ. Moreover, Morens also provided expertise to senior staff on epidemiological research and issues related to infectious disease planning and management.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that “circumventing records protocols with the intention of avoiding transparency is something that will not be tolerated” by his agency.
“Not only did Morens allegedly engage in the illegal obfuscation of his communications, but he received kickbacks for doing so,” Patel continued. “If you have engaged in activity conspiring against the United States, we will not stop until you face justice.”
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