Research Org Working With Wuhan Lab Tried To Use Jan 6 Riot To Stymie Covid Investigation

Research Org Working With Wuhan Lab Tried To Use Jan 6 Riot To Stymie Covid Investigation
A coronavirus. CDC: Dr. Fred Murphy & Sylvia Whitfield

By Dylan Housman

Attorneys for EcoHealth Alliance, the nonprofit group that funneled taxpayer money to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) for dangerous bat virus experiments, argued in emails that it should not have to turn over records because of the “Jan. 6 disturbance.”

Peter Daszak, the head of EcoHealth Alliance, told the National Institutes of Health (NIH) he could not provide records about his research requested by the agency because of “intense geopolitical pressure” around the WIV and COVID-19, according to new emails obtained by Judicial Watch. Additionally, attorneys representing EcoHealth said a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request should be denied because of the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

“[A]s demonstrated by the recent attack on the U.S. Capitol fueled by disinformation and conspiracy theories, the need to protect the privacy of EcoHealth Alliance’s employees and affiliates is more important than ever,” the law firm’s representative wrote.

NIH sought EcoHealth’s assistance in fulfilling a FOIA request, prompting the Jan. 6 excuse for not complying. Daszak’s deflection to “intense geopolitical pressure” came in response to an NIH request to provide all WIV biosafety reports from June 1, 2014 to May 31, 2019. (RELATED: Top Fauci Adviser Said He Only Likes To Speak Where TV Cameras Are Rolling)

“Given the intense geopolitical pressure around the accusations that WIV intentionally or accidentally released SARS-CoV-2 (something which the WHO mission deemed ‘extremely unlikely’), obtaining such information is not a plausible option at present,” Daszak wrote in an email.

Daszak led the initial World Health Organization (WHO) investigation that determined a lab leak of COVID-19 from the WIV was “unlikely,” leading some observers to allege a conflict of interest.

Daszak’s organization has come under scrutiny for helping facilitate gain-of-function research at the WIV. These experiments make bat-based coronaviruses more transmissible and dangerous. EcoHealth Alliance has continuously denied any connection to the COVID-19 outbreak.

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