Zoe EngelsApr 28th, 2026, 1:59 pm

Dr. David Morens, a former National Institutes of Health senior advisor to Dr. Anthony Fauci, has been indicted by a grand jury for concealing records about the COVID-19 pandemic.

The indictment, unsealed on Monday, specifically charges Morens with curtailing federal record-keeping laws and concealing emails and discussions from Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests regarding the origins of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Per the indictment, Morens and his two unindicted “co-conspirators” communicated via his personal, non-government-issued email to attempt to cover up their discussions from the FOIA requests.

In 2024, Fauci, who is not accused in this case, reportedly distanced himself from Morens in a congressional hearing and said they did not work together closely during the pandemic, according to POLITICO.

POLITICO also cited a reference from the indictment to a 2021 message from Morens in which he asserts, “I learned from our FOIA lady here how to make emails disappear after I am FOIA’d, but before the search starts, so I think we are all safe. Plus, I deleted most of those earlier emails after sending them to Gmail.”

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) applauded the Department of Justice’s work in holding Morens accountable for his actions in a press release on Tuesday.

“The House Oversight Committee’s Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic uncovered evidence revealing Dr. Morens – a top advisor to Dr. Fauci – intentionally took action to conceal and falsify records about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “We caught Dr. Morens red-handed as he boasted in emails about how the ‘FOIA lady’ coached him on how to hide records and cover up information. I applaud the Trump Justice Department for taking action to hold this public official accountable for hiding information from the American people. No one is above the law, and under the Trump Administration, overdue accountability is finally here.”

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