Former aide to Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. David Morens, 78, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring to destroy public records after emails he sent discussed having deleted messages. He served as Dr. Fauci’s aide until late in 2022.
He pleaded guilty in exchange for prosecutors dropping four other charges, according to the signed plea agreement. He admitted to conspiring with others to “hide from public view various federal records related to the significant historical event” during the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s according to a joint court filing.
Specifically, he worked to defraud the United States by obstructing lawful government functions, including responses to Freedom of Information Act requests.
In one e-mail, Morens wrote to Peter Daszak, who helped funnel money from the National Institutes of Health to researchers in Wuhan, China, after the grant providing the money was canceled, “that there are things I can’t say except” [Fauci] is aware and I have learned there are ongoing efforts to steer this through “with minimal damage to you” and government agencies.
In another missive in 2020, Morens told Daszak he had been told he could cover his rear by deleting a missive. Morens faces up to 5 years in prison and up to 3 years of supervised release following any prison term. He could also be fined up to $250,000; sentencing factors consider cooperation with prosecutors.