According to The Intercept, David M. Mollens, an adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), used personal rather than professional e-mail to comply with the Freedom of Information Act. FOIA) reportedly tried to circumvent a potential request.

“As you know, NIH emails are always FOIAd, so I always try to communicate on Gmail,” Mohrens wrote in a 2021 email. report. “What I send to his Gmail gets to my cell phone, but not to the NIH computer,” Mohrens added.

after that message According to this information obtained by The Intercept, he admitted that his personal email had been hacked and had to be returned to the NIH email for contact. Mollens is said to have been in contact with other scientists who outspokenly supported the natural origin theory of the new coronavirus infection. (Related: CDC relaxes COVID-19 testing and quarantine instructions for schools)

“Please do not rule out suing these bastards for defamation,” David Morrence, senior adviser to Anthony Fauci, wrote in a private email regarding The Intercept’s coverage of coronavirus research in Chinese labs. . https://t.co/1QjsjV5ig9

— Jarrod Facundo (@dorajfacundo) June 29, 2023

In those exchanges, Mr. Morens and his contemporaries accused the news outlet of claiming that the novel coronavirus may have originated from a laboratory leak in Wuhan, China, according to The Intercept. be done.

“The lab leakers have already stirred up a bogus line of attack in our way that has resulted in even more negative publicity. This is the problem. [gain-of-function] An attack on Fauci, or a ‘dangerous research’ attack on all of us,” EcoHealth Alliance president Peter Daszak wrote, The Intercept reported.

“Please don’t rule out sueing this bastard for defamation,” Mollens wrote, according to the newspaper.

In an alleged exchange with Bloomberg reporter Jason Gale, Morrence said he was given permission to discuss the origins of the coronavirus, so long as he didn’t mention “Tony,” which clearly refers to Fauci. The paper noted that . “Tony doesn’t want his fingerprints on his origin story,” Morens said in 2021.

Morens received a letter from the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic regarding the alleged use of personal email accounts. Ohio Rep. Brad Wenstrup, chairman of the subcommittee, said the documents obtained by The Intercept “may have used personal emails to circumvent the Transparency and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).” suggesting sexuality and may have deliberately deleted federal records.” And he publicly denigrated his fellow scientists, including encouraging lawsuits against them. ”

Wenstrup I have written The New York Post reported that the subcommittee had more questions and wanted to interview Mr. Mollens.

“Public health authorities are not above the law, especially in times of crisis,” Wenstrup told Morens. “These emails raise even more serious concerns about your objectivity as you work in the Office of the Director of NIAID, an agency that mandates billions of dollars in spending each year. , question whether you made or influenced funding decisions based on personal motives or prejudices against scientists,” the paper noted.