Former Fauci aide charged with conspiring to evade Covid-related records requests

[Jose Garcia]

Source: Politico

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.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/28/fauci-aide-covid-research-indictment-00895447

[Multichromatic]

1. If the Heritage Foundation is involved I feel like this is a Republican scam.

[Initech]

5. Well, the dipshits already demonized and demeaned him into oblivion.

Another reason why we can't have nice things.

[BaronChocula]

7. And Judicial Watch

Same family tree as Heritage.

[reACTIONary]

8. Involved in what way? All they did was ....

... make a FOIA request. Along with Science Magazine, and Judicial Watch. He may or may not be guilty, but it doesn't look good for him.

[in2herbs]

2. Could his slowness in any response to a FOIA be connected to the fact that he was trying to

prevent a bigger health crisis in the US and the world!!!

[hlthe2b]

4. I'd bet on it.

[hlthe2b]

3. Oh, shit. I know/knew David Morens--actually Dr. David Morens--that is what threw me off

a very very accomplished clinician researcher/epidemiologist and Public Health career officer. While i haven't had contact in many many years, I don't know why I did not hear inklings about this prior. I don't know details now, but my hunch is that whatever he did (assuming he did anything) was in response to the then COVID witch-hunts led by some in Congress determined to prove that COVID-19 was intentionally created and released--something I believe only underscores the unbelievable ignorance of some in Congress and their willingness to misinterpret everything. That said, it is certainly possible he did something many might consider innocuous but that will fuel the charges being brought.

Uggh. I am sickened. I've met Dr. Fauci before and have great respect for him, but I never had more than a very passing acquaintance. I did know Dr. David Morens somewhat as our paths crossed on some of my prior work when I was starting out and he served a short time as a mentor.

I can only hope he is not yet another vengeance target from this administration or those freely wielding clubs among the R's in Congress. Clearly they have demonized anyone and everyone involved at CDC, NIH, and elsewhere who worked on COVID-19, vaccine-preventable disease, or other "inconvenient" yet critically important scientific endeavors. That some of the country's brightest minds could not fight back only underscores a devotion to medicine, science, the public's health and well-being--rather than the devious political tactics that fuel many in power today.

Damn. I don't even recognize this country. Frankly, I wish I didn't HAVE TO.

Time to take a break. DAMN!


--edited for typos--

[Nittersing]

6. Sadly, now that his name is out there

I suspect the bot farms will take over. I think that's how our country works now.