Former Fauci aide pleads guilty to COVID-19 conspiracy
Dr. Anthony Fauci’s former senior adviser pleaded guilty to fraud charges for concealing evidence from the public that may relate to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to federal court documents.
TL;DR
- Dr. David Morens, a science adviser to the former director of NIAID, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and fraud charges.
- Morens used his personal Gmail account to conduct official business, intending to avoid Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
- He instructed colleagues to use his personal email to circumvent FOIA and hide information.
- The investigation linked Morens to Dr. Peter Daszak of EcoHealth Alliance, which funded research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
- Morens and co-conspirators are accused of concealing records related to a $3.1 million grant, including subawards to the Wuhan lab.
- They allegedly worked to reinstate the grant and counter the lab leak theory for COVID-19's origin.
- Despite his role, Dr. Anthony Fauci downplayed his relationship with Morens.
- Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in a separate congressional appearance.