A key House committee investigating the origins of COVID-19 wants a scientific research group blocked from receiving federal funds and criminally investigated for its president’s work with a laboratory in Wuhan, China.
A GOP staff report released Wednesday by the majority House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic found that EcoHealth Alliance used U.S. taxpayer dollars to facilitate high-risk coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology ( WIV), the Chinese laboratory at the center of the lab leak theory.
The report states that the organization’s president, Peter Daszak, failed to report this investigation to the federal government, violating the terms of his grant from the National Institutes of Health.
“Given Dr. Daszak’s apparent contempt for the American people and disregard for legal reporting requirements, the Select Subcommittee recommends formal debarment and a criminal investigation of EcoHealth and its president,” the report stated.
The commission released the report ahead of a hearing, where Daszak defended himself against accusations that he did not cooperate in the investigation and tried to cover up evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 virus came from a Chinese laboratory.
Daszak has repeatedly stated that he has not conducted “gain-of-function” research, which increases a virus’s ability to cause an infection in order to predict pandemics and develop cures. Gain-of-function research is not illegal, but Republicans have been calling for it to be banned as they try to directly link gain-of-function research in Wuhan to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Dr. Daszak cannot or will not distinguish between the common understanding of gain-of-function research and the more technical definitions provided under several narrowly defined regulatory frameworks,” said subcommittee chairman Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio).
Wenstrup added that Daszak “demonstrated a disregard for the risks associated with gain-of-function investigation, blocked the congressional oversight process, and deliberately violated the federal grant process.”
Republicans said experiments EcoHealth Alliance conducted in 2019 made the SARS-CoV-2 virus stronger and more pathogenic.
Members of both parties grilled Daszak and appeared skeptical of his answers about gaining office.
Democrats focused on the security of the research as well as the organization’s compliance with federal funding rules.
In a separate report also released Wednesday, Democrats said the internal documents “raise reasonable questions” about EcoHealth getting any future funding from taxpayers.
EcoHealth “potentially misled the federal government on multiple occasions, both in its transparency obligations and reporting requirements as a recipient of federal funding – raising serious questions about its overall commitment to the responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars,” said Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-California). .) the panel’s top Democrat.
Still, Democrats have made clear they don’t think Daszak and EcoHealth caused the pandemic.
In combative questioning, Daszak said lawmakers and respective lawyers on both sides were misinterpreting his research. Speaking frequently to members’ questions, Daszak defended his work, saying he has been the target of misinformation.
Daszak said his family and EcoHealth staff were harassed and received death threats.
In March 2020, Daszak signed a letter to “strongly condemn conspiracy theories that suggest Covid-19 does not have a natural origin.”
Under questioning from Ruiz and others, Daszak said he doesn’t think it’s a conspiracy theory to suggest a lab leak, but he still believes the virus has a natural origin.
“I categorically condemn the threats that you and other scientists or public health officials have received due to extreme accusations, as we have heard from some of my colleagues,” Ruiz said, but pressed Daszak to explain why he helped write the statement when he had an interest financial in suppressing scrutiny of the Wuhan laboratory.
Both Ruiz and Wenstrup said they felt Daszak was dodging tough questions.
“Your responses here are unsatisfactory,” Ruiz told Daszak at the end of the hearing. “You are explaining things for your convenience to avoid consequences.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
