A watchdog filed a complaint against the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) agency, which Dr. Anthony Fauci oversaw until 2022. The complaint alleges that one person under Fauci's employment acknowledged dodging a federal law and another seemed to replace letters with symbols to evade FOIA inquiries. Michael Chamberlain, the director of Protect the Public's Trust, requested an investigation into this pattern of evasion.
Dr. David Morens, a senior adviser to the head of NIAID, claimed to have discovered a way to circumvent FOIA requests in numerous emails obtained by the U.S. House of Representatives. He claimed to have learned from his FOIA lady how to make emails disappear after being FOIA'd but before the search starts. Dr. Morens also claimed that he was too wise not to accept emails from coworkers that may get him into trouble.
In two emails, Dr. Fauci's aide Greg Folkers put a dollar sign in the name of a scientist and a "~" symbol in the name of EcoHealth Alliance, the organization that sent NIAID award funds to a Chinese laboratory, in what House members claimed appeared to be an attempt to circumvent FOIA. Federal agencies are required by FOIA to provide public documents upon request, and it is against another federal law to delete federal documents.
Based on the available information, the lawsuit claims that Dr. Morens planned to avoid FOIA with other government employees, including Ms. Moore. It appears that Mr. Folkers broke federal law as well. The watchdog demanded an urgent look into the situation.
In May, Dr. Morens testified before the House that he had erased emails, just not official ones. This week, Dr. Fauci distanced himself from Dr. Morens, asserting that his former advisor had broken federal regulations and that he was unaware of the content of several of the messages.
Dr. David Morens, a senior adviser to the head of NIAID, claimed to have discovered a way to circumvent FOIA requests in numerous emails obtained by the U.S. House of Representatives. He claimed to have learned from his FOIA lady how to make emails disappear after being FOIA'd but before the search starts. Dr. Morens also claimed that he was too wise not to accept emails from coworkers that may get him into trouble.
In two emails, Dr. Fauci's aide Greg Folkers put a dollar sign in the name of a scientist and a "~" symbol in the name of EcoHealth Alliance, the organization that sent NIAID award funds to a Chinese laboratory, in what House members claimed appeared to be an attempt to circumvent FOIA. Federal agencies are required by FOIA to provide public documents upon request, and it is against another federal law to delete federal documents.
Based on the available information, the lawsuit claims that Dr. Morens planned to avoid FOIA with other government employees, including Ms. Moore. It appears that Mr. Folkers broke federal law as well. The watchdog demanded an urgent look into the situation.
In May, Dr. Morens testified before the House that he had erased emails, just not official ones. This week, Dr. Fauci distanced himself from Dr. Morens, asserting that his former advisor had broken federal regulations and that he was unaware of the content of several of the messages.
