Former Fauci Adviser Indicted for Hiding COVID-19 Communications

WASHINGTON — A former senior adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci has been indicted on federal charges alleging he hid COVID-19-related communications during the height of the pandemic, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

Dr. David Morens, 78, is accused of using a private email account to circumvent public records laws while working at the National Institutes of Health. Prosecutors allege he concealed or destroyed records tied to discussions about COVID-19 research grants, including efforts to revive a controversial coronavirus grant.

“These allegations represent a profound abuse of trust at a time when the American people needed it most — during the height of a global pandemic,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. He added that government officials are obligated to provide honest, evidence-based information in service of the public.

Morens faces charges including conspiracy against the United States, destruction and falsification of records in a federal investigation, concealment of records, and aiding and abetting, according to the Justice Department. If convicted, he could face a prison sentence decades long. An attorney for Morens declined to comment.

Authorities also allege Morens maintained an improper relationship with a collaborator, including accepting a gift and discussing COVID-19 research and potential publications in a medical journal.

The indictment follows a congressional probe led by House Republicans into the origins of COVID-19, which examined Morens’ email practices and accused him of intentionally concealing records. In prior testimony, Morens denied attempting to evade federal transparency laws.

The case comes amid ongoing debate over the origins of COVID-19, which many believe originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, China's foremost research lab for SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) viruses. Researchers at the Wuhan lab were sick with COVID-like symptoms in the fall of 2019, just months before it began to spread around the world.

However, Fauci, who oversaw the U.S. public response to COVID, was adamant the virus emerged from animal transmission.

A 2023 U.S. intelligence analysis found insufficient evidence to support either theory.