Swansenreport

The Department of Justice announced Tuesday it has indicted Dr. David Morens, a longtime senior advisor to former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, on federal charges alleging he conspired to conceal and falsify records related to COVID-19 research grants and the origins of the pandemic.

Morens, 78, of Chester, Maryland, is accused of using his private email account to intentionally circumvent public records laws while employed at the National Institutes of Health. The Justice Department alleges he concealed or destroyed records of discussions related to COVID-19 research grants, including an effort to revive a controversial coronavirus grant after it was terminated. Bloomberg Law

Morens served as a senior advisor to Fauci and other high-level NIAID staff from 2006 to 2022, advising on policy matters and contributing to scientific manuscripts. He faces charges of conspiracy against the United States, destruction and falsification of records in federal investigations, concealment or mutilation of records, and aiding and abetting. RedState

The indictment alleges Morens conspired with individuals matching the description of EcoHealth Alliance’s then-president Peter Daszak and an unnamed physician-scientist to keep communications out of reach of FOIA requests by routing them through personal email accounts. EcoHealth had funded disease research, including at a Chinese lab that some have pointed to as the origin of the COVID-19 virus. Morens and his co-conspirators allegedly worked to restore EcoHealth’s terminated grant funding while suppressing the lab-leak theory. Fox News

Prosecutors further allege Morens received kickbacks for his efforts, including wine sent to his Maryland home — described in emails as payment for his “behind-the-scenes shenanigans” — with additional perks discussed including meals at Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris, New York, and Washington. In exchange, the indictment alleges Morens contributed to a scientific commentary supporting the natural-origins theory of COVID-19. The Gateway Pundit

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called the allegations “a profound abuse of trust at a time when the American people needed it most — during the height of a global pandemic,” adding that government officials have a duty to provide honest facts in service of the public interest, not personal or ideological agendas. Bloomberg Law

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said the indictment validated years of congressional investigation, noting that the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic had previously caught Morens “red-handed” in emails where he boasted about how a FOIA officer coached him on how to hide records. LifeZette If convicted, Morens faces up to five years on the conspiracy charge, up to 20 years for each count of falsifying records, and up to three years for each concealment or destruction count. The Daily Beast

Sources: Associated Press | STAT News | Newsweek | House Oversight Committee | Daily Caller