COVID19 origins and investigations

From: allin

A House subcommittee has been investigating the origins of COVID-19 over the past year and a half, focusing on the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) ties to gain of function research in Wuhan [00:19:11]. Initially perceived as a politically motivated inquiry by Republicans, the investigation has reportedly become effective and bipartisan [00:27:27].

Investigation Findings

The investigation primarily aimed to establish a timeline of communication between NIH officials and EcoHealth Alliance, a non-profit organization specializing in infectious disease research [00:19:34].

• EcoHealth Alliance received research grants from the NIH, some of which were directed to various labs, including the infamous Wuhan Institute of Virology [00:19:52].
• EcoHealth reportedly violated grant terms by failing to report gain of function experiments conducted in Wuhan [00:20:01]. They were required to disclose any experiment that led to a virus becoming 10 times more infectious, but failed to do so [00:20:11].
• On May 17th, a deputy director of the NIH acknowledged that the agency had funded gain of function research in Wuhan through EcoHealth [00:20:21]. This directly contradicts Dr. Anthony Fauci’s denial during his 2021 Senate hearing, where he stated, “I totally resent the lie you are now propagating” in response to questions about the lab leak theory [00:20:30].

Allegations of Cover-up

Emails presented during the subcommittee hearing suggest deliberate efforts to conceal communications and evade Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests [00:23:35].

• Emails from EcoHealth were sometimes written with a tilde (~) instead of an “o” [00:23:39].
• Names like Christian Anderson, a biologist who received a $9millionNIHgrantafterpublishingapaperagainstthelableaktheory,weremisspelledwithadollarsign($) in place of an “e” to frustrate FOIA searches [00:23:45].
• Dr. David Morens, Fauci’s former top adviser, was grilled about emails discussing the privacy of messages on government phones [00:24:10]. He repeatedly claimed “no recollection” of conversations with Fauci regarding EcoHealth or using personal phones for communication [00:24:30].
• Morens’ emails explicitly detail learning “how to make emails disappear after I’m FOIAed but before the search starts” from a “FOIA lady” at NIH, Marge Moore, who “hates FOIAs” [00:25:39].
• These schemes were foolishly detailed in emails that Fauci was on the distribution list of, eliminating his deniability [00:28:54].

The Lab Leak Theory and Suppression

There is a high probability that the pandemic originated from a lab leak, where research aimed at preventing the next pandemic inadvertently caused it [00:21:47].

• The presence of a furin cleavage site, which is not naturally occurring and was added to make the virus more transmissible in humans, suggests bioengineering [00:26:39].
• Fauci allegedly knew as early as February 1, 2020, that COVID-19 came from a lab leak [00:26:30].
• Fauci and his colleagues discussed a “brutal takedown” to conceal the truth of the lab leak from the public [00:26:58].
• Fauci personally reversed an Obama-era decision to prohibit gain of function research due to its risks, and had written op-eds justifying such research [00:27:22].
• Efforts were made to smear and demonize scientists, such as Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who suggested the lab leak theory [00:28:17]. Bhattacharya, a Stanford Professor, was banned and censored on social media for speaking out [00:29:43].
• Mainstream media outlets were accused of covering for Fauci and promoting the idea that the lab leak theory was a conspiracy theory [00:46:43].

Consequences and Calls for Accountability

The US Department of Health cut all funding to EcoHealth and disbarred its president, Peter Daszak, in response to the committee’s investigation [00:22:53].

The macroeconomic consequences of the pandemic and the response to it are significant:

• Massive spending in the trillions of dollars annually, leading to a substantial debt issue [00:30:27].
• Billions of people worldwide were encouraged to take “immaturely tested drugs” (vaccines), which were later found to be modestly effective at best [00:31:29]. Concerns remain about long-term impacts, including myocarditis and overall mortality [00:31:44].
• The alleged cover-up by government officials, who were not elected, is seen as a “crime against humanity” given its impact on mental health, education (children lost two years of school), and economic burden [00:34:31].
• The officials responsible are accused of being “power drunk” bureaucrats who believed they knew better than elected officials and the public [00:32:12].
• The fact that Fauci, who allegedly funded the risky research, was then put in charge of the pandemic response, raises questions about conflicts of interest and flawed advice [00:35:30].

There is a call for accountability, with some suggesting that those who hid information from FOIA requests should go to jail [00:35:08]. The theory that the cover-up was motivated by fear of global destabilization between the United States and China and potential public riots is also discussed [00:36:38].

Ethical Dilemmas and Future Policy

The discussion raises critical questions about the ethics of gain of function research:

• The consensus is that such research should not be conducted in population centers [00:37:40]. Internal NIH emails suggested COVID-19 leaked from a BSL-2 facility in Wuhan, which lacked top-level biohazard safeguards [00:38:10].
• Many scientists opposed gain of function research, leading President Obama to ban it due to its unduly risky nature and lack of offsetting benefits [00:41:09].
• There’s a concern that “lifelong bureaucrats” within the government believe they are “above the law” and can silently pull the levers of power, contravening the desires of the people [00:41:54]. This highlights the concept of the “deep state” – the permanent bureaucracy that outlasts elected officials [00:45:51].
• It is suggested that term limits might be necessary for those within the administrative apparatus of critical organizations [00:45:44].
• The need for skepticism towards experts is emphasized, along with the importance of bringing together diverse, even disagreeing, opinions to make informed policy decisions [00:43:24].
• The widespread distrust in mainstream media (over 52% of Americans believe it is untrustworthy) is noted as a barrier to transparent information, contributing to public disillusionment [00:52:09].

Fauci is scheduled to appear in a hearing for the same subcommittee, which is anticipated to be “explosive” [00:52:55].