April 28 (UPI) — A former aide to Anthony Fauci faces charges for allegedly concealing emails that involve the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday.
David M. Morens, 78, worked with Fauci from 2006 to 2022. Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to the president from 2021 to 2022, is not accused of any wrongdoing in the case. Congressional Republicans have been investigating the U.S. coronavirus response, which started during President Donald Trump’s first administration.
The indictment charges Morens with conspiracy against the United States and destruction and concealment of records in a federal investigation. Prosecutors say that he purposefully concealed emails he’d exchanged with the president of a nonprofit group. This group had worked with a Chinese lab that’s faced scrutiny over a perceived connection to the coronavirus, the Washington Post reported.
The indictment does not name the president or the group, but previous records have shown the former to be Peter Daszak, former president of EcoHealth Alliance, the Post reported. The group received a grant in 2014 to study bat coronaviruses.
Morens was released on his own recognizance after appearing Monday in federal court in Maryland. He has said he tried to keep some records off his government email in part to keep coronavirus misinformation from spreading and to discourage conspiracy theories.
Controversy over the origins of the virus has existed for as long as it’s been known. While many scientists say it jumped naturally from bats to humans through another animal, Trump and his administration have promoted other theories, including that the virus came from a Chinese lab.
Some Republicans hailed the charges against Morens as validation, including Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, chairman of the House Oversight Committee.
“I applaud the Trump Justice Department for taking action to hold his public official accountable for hiding information from the American people,” Comer said Tuesday.
Under Trump’s second administration, the White House’s covid.gov website has been changed to a site that promotes the “lab leak” theory, replacing information about vaccines, testing and health issues related to the virus.
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