There is growing evidence that US public health officials may have deliberately misled the public about the origin of the Coronavirus.
Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) of the House Select Subcommittee on Coronavirus Pandemic has initiated an investigation into official emails, text messages, and related documents that suggest efforts were made by the highest levels of NIH and NIAID to withhold information about the origins of the deadly virus.
The NIH (National Institutes of Health) and NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) are key health organizations in the US. The Coronavirus, which first emerged in China, has led to over 1.2 million deaths in the US since January 2020.
“Dr. Morens mentioned in an email that he learned how to make emails ‘disappear’ from our FOIA office. Additionally, documents indicate that Dr. Morens provided preferential treatment to his ‘best friend,’ Dr. Peter Daszak, President of EcoHealth Alliance, Inc., by sharing potentially damaging FOIA materials with him before their public release,” Mr. Wenstrup added.
The chairman of the select subcommittee referenced emails from Greg Folkers, former Chief of Staff to Dr. Fauci at NIAID and others, where it was mentioned that misspelling words could help avoid detection in document searches.
In a June 4, 2021, email from Folkers, “EcoHealth” was spelled as “Ec-Health.” EcoHealth Alliance is the nonprofit organization that channeled funds from NIH to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
“This tactic of evasion ensures that emails with misspelled keywords are not identified in the NIH’s search for responsive documents to a FOIA request,” Mr. Wenstrup explained.
“If the contents of these documents are accurate, it represents a breach of public trust and those involved must face appropriate consequences,” stated the Ohio Republican.
The NIH and the NIH FOIA office did not respond to requests for comment from The Epoch Times. Mr. Folkers also did not provide a comment.
For over a year, the select subcommittee has been seeking extensive information from NIH and NIAID about the Coronavirus’s origins. Subpoenas have been necessary to obtain the requested documentation.
Officials in NIH, NIAID, and other government agencies, including Dr. Fauci, have maintained that the virus likely originated from bats to humans through a seafood market in Wuhan, China.
However, many experts in public health and private medicine have challenged this narrative, citing evidence within the virus itself and government records, suggesting a lab leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology as the more plausible source.
Among these exemptions, federal officials commonly reference those related to national security, ongoing law enforcement investigations, personal privacy, and protection of commercial secrets.
Exemption Five, which allows federal officials to withhold documents created prior to a government decision, is the most frequently cited exemption. It is unofficially known among transparency advocates as the “withhold it because you want to” exemption.
“I have been involved in public interest work since 1987, and the NIH’s lack of cooperation is the most severe case I have encountered,” Mr. Ruskin stated.
He commended the Select Subcommittee for their efforts in revealing information about how the NIH evaded FOIA requests regarding COVID origins, emphasizing the need for more evidence to fully understand the situation.
Another transparency advocate, Adam Andrzejewski, Founder and President of Open The Books, mentioned that his organization is currently pursuing six federal lawsuits to compel the NIH to comply with FOIA disclosure requirements.
“NIH approaches every FOIA request as a major conflict. Their strategy involves ignoring requests, leading to legal battles. When documents are eventually provided, they are heavily redacted, rendering them almost useless. This process is costly and time-consuming,” Mr. Andrzejewski explained.
“The pattern of behavior exhibited by the NIH demonstrates a disregard for transparency, as evidenced by Dr. Morens’ emails,” he added.
