(Patriot.Buzz) – During a recent hearing seeking accountability, lawmakers grilled Dr. David Morens, Senior Advisor to Dr. Anthony Fauci at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID).
Watch the video below.
Lawmakers questioned Morens about his use of private communication methods to potentially avoid Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chair Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) highlighted several emails where Morens mentioned informal ways of communicating with Fauci, including one where he mentioned a “secret backchannel.”
However, Morens dismissed these references as a joke and claimed they were light-hearted comments made under stressful circumstances.
“All these terms like secret backchannel and the other one you mentioned were just jokes. Jokes that I made in dealing with Peter [Daszak] because he was under death threats and very depressed,” he said.
The discussion also covered Morens’s handling of emails, particularly ones that might be subject to FOIA requests.
Wenstrup brought up a 2021 email from Morens to Daszak stating he had deleted an email after discovering it had been captured by a FOIA request.
Morens defended his actions by claiming he did not know what constituted a federal record despite his decades at NIH and experience at the National Archives.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) criticized Morens for his casual remarks about financial dealings with Daszak.
She referenced an email where Morens joked about receiving a kickback from a grant awarded to EcoHealth Alliance but Morens asserted that it was typical dark humor among colleagues.
Rep. James Comer (R-KY) further pressed Morens on his strategies to evade FOIA scrutiny and cited an email where Morens mentioned learning techniques to make emails disappear before FOIA searches began.
Morens’s emails also suggested he frequently deleted potentially incriminating emails, a point that drew attention and criticism from committee members.
Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) reacted to the testimony and the emails with incredulity and remarked on the surreal nature of the disclosures. “If this were not laughable it would be laughable,” he commented.
Boom! Even hardcore Democrats are coming strong after Dr. Fauci's top lieutenant! Rep Mfume: "Sir, I think you're going to be haunted by your testimony today.". pic.twitter.com/Pa5o5SNqGk
— Justin Hart (@justin_hart) May 22, 2024
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