GOP Takes Scalps in COVID Probe, But Virus Origin Still a Mystery

The GOP-controlled subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic appears to be influencing the Biden administration with its exhaustive examinations targeting groups and individuals with ties to the unproven COVID-19 lab leak theory.

Last month, the subcommittee heard testimony from EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak and Lawrence Tabak, principal deputy director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It also summoned David Morens, one of former COVID czar Anthony Fauci’s top deputies, who has come under fire for damning revelations about his conduct.

The purpose of these hearings was to establish a timeline of what happened between federal authorities and EcoHealth before and after the COVID-19 outbreak, and whether any of it may have contributed to the global health crisis.

Apparently coinciding with these hearings, the White House decided to ban EcoHealth and Daszak from receiving federal funds. And committee members believe they had a hand in those decisions.

“I think the subcommittee had influence over EcoHealth in exposing what happened,” Rep. Deborah Ross (D-N.C.) told The Hill.

“But I don’t think the subcommittee used its influence for good in the way it could have. So that was a small positive thing the committee did,” Ross added. “But there have been so many missed opportunities for bipartisan work with this committee that it almost breaks my heart.”

Despite a series of reports and hearings, neither the committee nor federal agencies appear any closer to discovering the origins of the virus that has killed nearly 1.2 million Americans and continues to rise.

EcoHealth is an infectious disease nonprofit that has received federal grants to study emerging viruses. The organization in turn provided grants to laboratories, including the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), that researched coronaviruses. Critics, including GOP members on the subcommittee, have questioned whether WIV research resulted in a lab leak that caused the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although this theory has not been proven, federal health officials have repeatedly accused EcoHealth of failing to conduct adequate oversight of WIV and other grant recipients, as well as failing to submit timely progress reports.

The administration maintains that the decision to move forward with banning EcoHealth from federal funds was an “independent action.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) did not address the timing of the moves to cut funding when asked by The Hill. They pointed to previous statements that said the change came after a “thorough investigation” that concluded EcoHealth was “not in compliance with federal regulations and the terms and conditions of the grant.”

The subcommittee’s chairman, Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), made it clear he believes the timing is no coincidence.

“Just two weeks after the Select Subcommittee released an extensive report detailing EcoHealth’s wrongdoing and recommending the formal debarment of EcoHealth and its chairman, HHS began efforts to cut off all U.S. funding to this corrupt organization,” he said in a statement shortly after the announcement was made.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle shared the bipartisan rebuke of EcoHealth and its apparent failure to comply with federal requirements, a rare occurrence for the panel that has been sharply divided by partisan fights since its creation in 2020.

Although Democrats joined in condemning the misconduct, several members were quick to point out what these testimonies did not achieve: determining the origins of COVID-19, one of the panel’s main stated goals after Republicans took control.

Instead, these hearings have largely had the effect of embarrassing federal health agencies like the NIH, as well as current and former officials, including Fauci.

This dynamic was on full display during the most recent subcommittee hearing involving Morens, the senior advisor to the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), who worked closely with Fauci during his tenure as the agency’s director.

Emails released by Morens showed apparent efforts to conduct official business outside the scope of Freedom of Information Act requests, deleting federal records, misogynistic comments about fellow federal health officials, and poorly worded jokes that suggested a quid pro quo relationship with Daszak from EcoHealth.

The subcommittee’s ranking member, Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), criticized Morens, accusing him of betraying the public trust and misusing federal resources. But he reiterated that the hearing seemed to deviate from the panel’s purpose.

“Dr. Morens’ testimony today is not a groundbreaking moment in truly understanding the true origins of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ruiz added. “Because the truth is that, to this day, the origins of the new coronavirus remain inconclusive.”

Over the course of nearly two hours of questioning, Morens said he used his personal email account to “avoid further embarrassment and danger to” Daszak, who has been a main target of COVID lab leak theorists.

The hearing saw the NIAID advisor publicly apologize for the numerous errors documented in his emails. Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii) directly requested an apology from Morens for how her actions tarnished the rest of the federal workforce.

“Can you say that you will, in fact, apologize for betraying your shared obligation to serve American taxpayers with the utmost respect for transparency and accountability, for letting Americans down? Are you going to apologize for this? Tokuda requested.

Morens disputed the use of the word “betray” but said he was not proud of his behavior.

In an email to Daszak, Morens implied that Fauci was trying to “protect” EcoHealth as a grant recipient. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) asked Morens if he ever discussed EcoHealth with Fauci.

“He referred or alluded to something that was in the press. I don’t think he even said what it was, but it was about… I assumed it was about Peter’s donations and the press reports about that and the end of the donation,” Morens said.

“I told him, ‘Tony, I know you would never be involved in eliminating that donation.’ And he didn’t respond. He kind of looked at me,” he added.

Another email to Daszak, which was copied on other federal COVID advisers, appeared to suggest that Fauci was aware of the misconduct but sought to protect himself from it.

“I can send things to Tony on his private Gmail or deliver them to his work or home. He is too intelligent to allow colleagues to send him things that could cause problems,” Morens wrote to the president of EcoHealth.

Fauci himself is scheduled to testify before the subcommittee on June 3, marking the first time he has participated in a congressional hearing since leaving his government post.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story