https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/28/fauci-aide-covid-research-indictment-00895447?utm_source=semafor


A former senior official at the National Institutes of Health has been indicted on obstruction of justice and conspiracy charges for allegedly concealing federal records about research into viruses like the one that caused the Covid pandemic.

David Morens, 78, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Greenbelt, Maryland, earlier this month on three felony counts for allegedly using a Gmail account to hide official communications about controversial federally funded projects studying coronaviruses in bats. The indictment was unsealed Monday, when Morens made a brief appearance in court and was released on his own recognizance, according to court records.

According to the indictment, Morens sent and received emails on his private account in order to thwart Freedom of Information Act requesters seeking information about so-called gain-of-function research, which can make pathogens deadlier or more transmissible in order to study them.

After the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, at least eight FOIA requests were submitted for such records by organizations including Science Magazine, Judicial Watch and the Heritage Foundation, the indictment says.

Morens served as a senior adviser to Anthony Fauci, the former longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the NIH. Fauci became the face of the Covid-19 pandemic response, gaining fans but also numerous detractors, including many Republicans and the now-Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Fauci, who is not accused of wrongdoing in the case, distanced himself from Morens in a 2024 congressional hearing, saying he and Morens didn’t work together closely.

The indictment references two unindicted co-conspirators. They are not charged with any crime and were not identified by name in the indictment.

Records released in congressional investigations into Morens’ actions indicate they are Peter Daszak, a zoologist and former president of the EcoHealth Alliance, and Gerald Keusch, a physician and former associate director of Boston University’s infectious disease lab.

Morens’ lawyer declined to comment. Keusch and attorneys for Daszak did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Republicans and Democrats sharply criticized Morens at the 2024 House hearing, saying his actions showed a disrespect for the public’s right to know and that he appeared to have intentionally deleted emails relevant to the issue.

The indictment stops short of actually accusing Morens of deleting emails that were federal records, but it references a 2021 message Morens sent, saying: “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.”

During the House hearing, Morens said he’d never actually received such advice. Morens also said he had tried not to conduct official business on his private email account and any mention he made of deleting was about personal emails.

Several lawmakers had urged the Justice Department to investigate Morens, including Sen. Rand Paul, who sent then Attorney General Merrick Garland a letter in May 2024 citing “strong evidence that Dr. Morens violated federal law by concealing and destroying federal records.”

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer issued a statement Tuesday praising prosecutors for indicting Morens.

“We caught Dr. Morens red-handed,” Comer said. “I applaud the Trump Justice Department for taking action to hold this public official accountable for hiding information from the American people.”

rat

Now you listen to me and you listen good. You better shut the fuck up and start trusting the god damn science here!

The biggest mindfuck isn't going to be the whole WuFlu thing was a overblown scam from the start. It's going to be the millions of lefty pedo cultists who will still cling to the idea letting grandma die alone was worth all the lockdowns because they know if they step away from the group think they'll be ostracized from the planation.

This was the guy who taught the bat lady in Wuhan everything she knows.

Can't believe HHS is finally saying he is complicit in starting Covid. I said this for years.

@ActuallyWincel where you at phaggot

Lock them up!

In b4 Seatard

I'm so confused, I thought Biden gave Fauci a preemptive pardon. Now they are saying they have 2 more weeks to indict Fauci before the 5 year window closes.

'sup dawg. What angle should I take with this one?

At first I was thinking of the high road because, if true, these fuckers shouldn't be using gmail for official communications. It's a pretty simple requirement and we should hold people accountable if we want to pretend to have standards.

But that's pretty boring, so maybe some traditional whataboutisms and memes? Let me know.

Imagine not being the target of investigation but being so stubborn to protect someone not their family at risk of jail

The old misc went insane arguing about vaccines, that Ivermectin doesn't work, masks.

Ut was blood and guts liberals defending Fauci and his fake-ass science.

That's why we need @ActuallyWincel in this thread asap, so we can make fun of him. If Bodhy could make a come back, that would be even better.


Wincel was Fauci dickrider of the decade

I'm in. Honorable mention isingmodel who berated all conservative and anyone who questioned his science and support for Fauci.

Oh that dude is such an epic phaggot

Top 5 phaggot

but remember, it's the conservatives that are the cult. lawl.

I don't know wth is going on, but Fauci is a POS and deserves to be hanged. "The Science" my ass.

Along with StoolieFun

wincel legit said he would willingly lay down his worthless life for lord Fauci.

And Stoolie was always ready to throw down on some motherfuckers on the daily in order to protect the sacred covid. I used to post this every time he got all assed up and tell him it was him lol..

lmao, I forgot all about that ******

Stoolie took the shit personally lol.

Disrespek covid = disrespekting his.... someone or something he really really cares about a lot!

Lmao.

Whatever happened to Stoolie? He disappeared before old misc shut down. Did the rona do him in?

And where the fuck is @ActuallyWincel?

It came to an end, and I guess he just wasn't able to handle it..

Fuark. I hope he didn't have a nervous breakdown cuz no more rona.

@ActuallyWincel where you at phaggot

Don't @ me you science denying antivaxxer lunatic lmao. Enjoy your dark age.

@ActuallyWincel

Remember how you said Covid didn't come from a lab? No way Fauci and Co. could have been involved? Remember that?

Wincel wrong again

Hang that son of a bitch!

There is zero evidence covid came from a lab you uneducated lunatic. Repeating a claim doesn't make it true. Antivaxxers lmao. Hey dipshit how old is the Earth? Tell us your thoughts on the theory of evolution. Republican assclowns lmao. Bunch of nazis and child molesters.

They pulled Ralph Baric's NIH funding. Brootal. It will come out one day what happened. You don't think they pulled his funding because Covid came from a wet market? Lmao.

From RCI:


“The investigations have been terrible,” said a senior congressional staffer who has followed the Senate and House probes of the COVID pandemic. “And Ralph Baric’s fingerprints are everywhere.”

A researcher whose security clearance allowed him to view still-classified documents told RCI there is no doubt the virus came from a lab in Wuhan. “This is a good view of what happened to virology,” he said. “They started willy nilly mutating viruses, and then got upset when this led to 20 million deaths.”

Republican antiscientific nazis are slashing funding to many areas of research and trying to distract from their failed leadership that killed a million Americans. It doesn't matter what you child molesting nazis do to cover for your pedophile president. The truth will come out, and it will not end well for any of you. Your handlers are building bunkers and living on bases in terror.