Dr Anthony Fauci's top former aide has been indicted for conspiracy against the US after he allegedly concealed and falsified information to suppress alternative theories of COVID-19's origins.
Dr David Morens, 78, of Chester, Maryland, was charged by the Department of Justice on Tuesday morning.
He served as a senior advisor to the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) from 2006 through 2022. Fauci served as the agency's director from 1984 to 2022.
Morens notoriously testified before Congress in 2024 that he learned how to make controversial internal agency correspondence 'disappear.'
The advisor's subpoenaed emails show that Morens said he 'learned from our foia lady here how to make emails disappear,' meaning he had a way to help them avoid scrutiny under the Freedom of Information Act.
He also used his personal email to illegally correspond with top officials and Dr Peter Daszak, the boss of Ecohealth Alliance, a group that funded gain-of-function research at the Chinese Wuhan lab where COVID-19 is believed to have escaped from.
Taxpayer funds supported Daszak's research, and to help the Wuhan-linked scientist avoid scrutiny during the pandemic, Morens communicated with Daszak through non-official channels, namely his personal email.
'These allegations represent a profound abuse of trust at a time when the American people needed it most — during the height of a global pandemic,' Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.
Dr. David Morens apologized to lawmakers for intentionally deleting his emails about COVID-19 while serving as Dr. Anthony Fauci's top advisor and for making misogynistic comments about former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky during a May 22, 2024 congressional hearing
Morens bragged to Daszak using his personal email account that he learned how to make emails disappear. He notably used his official NIH signature at the bottom
Morens said in emails Fauci and NIH colleagues would 'protect' Dr Peter Daszak, who used US taxpayer money to research gain-of-function in Wuhan
'As alleged in the indictment, Dr. Morens and his co-conspirators deliberately concealed information and falsified records in an effort to suppress alternative theories regarding the origins of COVID-19,' Blanche said.
'Government officials have a solemn duty to provide honest, well-grounded facts and advice in service of the public interest — not to advance their own personal or ideological agendas.'
Morens is charged with conspiracy against the US; destruction, alteration or falsification of records in federal investigations; concealment, removal, or mutilation of records; and aiding and abetting.
The maximum penalties for the charges could land Morens behind bars for up to 28 years.
'The indictment alleges that the conspirators used Morens’s personal Gmail account to exchange non-public NIH information,' the DOJ said.
When corresponding with Daszak, Morens reassured the researcher, whom he called his 'best friend,' that he could shield him from inquiries into their correspondence.
'Circumventing records protocols with the intention of avoiding transparency is something that will not be tolerated by this FBI,' FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement.
'Not only did Morens allegedly engage in the illegal obfuscation of his communications, but he received kickbacks for doing so. If you have engaged in activity conspiring against the United States, we will not stop until you face justice.'