Former Fauci Adviser Faces Serious Charges Over Covid-19 Record Handling
Charges Filed Against David Morens
The U.S. Department of Justice has brought charges against David Morens, a former senior adviser to Anthony Fauci, concerning his management of records during investigations into the origins of Covid-19. Prosecutors claim that Morens, aged 78, engaged in a conspiracy to hide and destroy federal records. He is facing one count of conspiracy against the United States, along with two counts each of record destruction or falsification and concealment or removal of records. If found guilty on all counts, he could face a maximum sentence of 51 years in prison.
The indictment, which was made public in a Maryland federal court, mentions two unnamed co-conspirators, believed to be Peter Daszak and Gerald Keusch. Morens, who served at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) from 2006 until 2022, appeared in court on Monday and was released under the condition that he surrender his passport and refrain from contacting the alleged co-conspirators.
According to the indictment, the individuals involved "concealed, removed, destroyed and caused the concealment, and removal of federal records to evade FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] and FRA [Federal Records Act]." Prosecutors have referenced emails where Morens proposed using private accounts to bypass public records requests. In an April 2021 message, he stated: "[T]here is no worry about FOIAs. I can either send stuff to Tony on his private Gmail, or hand it to him at work or at his house." In another communication, he mentioned having "learned from our FOIA lady here how to make emails disappear after I am FOIA’d but before the search starts."
The indictment also includes messages from 2020 discussing efforts within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to manage the situation with minimal repercussions for colleagues and the agency. Furthermore, prosecutors allege that Daszak provided "illegal gratuities" to Morens, including two bottles of wine delivered to his residence in June 2020. In a note accompanying the gift, Daszak expressed gratitude for Morens' "advice, support, and behind-the-scenes shenanigans." Morens responded by indicating he might publish "scientific commentary" endorsing the organization’s efforts.
This case is partly linked to the scrutiny surrounding funding allocated to EcoHealth Alliance, which partnered with the Wuhan Institute of Virology on coronavirus research. A report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office in 2023 revealed that the organization had funneled over $1.4 million to the Chinese lab for studies involving bat coronaviruses. U.S. officials later confirmed that some experiments had included virus modifications, raising compliance concerns regarding grant conditions.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche remarked, "These allegations signify a severe breach of trust at a time when the American public needed it most — during the peak of a global pandemic." He further stated, "As alleged in the indictment, Dr. Morens and his co-conspirators intentionally concealed information and falsified records to suppress alternative theories about the origins of Covid-19." FBI Director Kash Patel noted that the case involved both "illegal obfuscation" and purported "kickbacks." The investigation was carried out by the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, following a referral from a congressional panel led by Brad Wenstrup. In previous statements, Wenstrup indicated that Daszak had "omitted a material fact" regarding access to virus samples and had been "less-than-cooperative" with the inquiry, often delaying document submissions and playing semantics with the definition of gain-of-function research.