Ecohealth Alliance Faces Criminal DOJ Probe After Funding Risky Wuhan Lab Research With Taxpayer Cash, House Report Finds

The US Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the pandemic-era activities of the EcoHealth Alliance, following new congressional findings that the organisation used taxpayer cash to fund gain-of-function research at a laboratory in Wuhan, China.

A comprehensive report from the House Select Subcommittee details how the nonprofit group allegedly violated federal grant terms before facing suspension from all government funding, according to the subcommittee's findings.

Lawmakers claim EcoHealth President Dr Peter Daszak attempted to obstruct the federal inquiry by altering documents, instructing staff to reduce the pace of evidence production, and providing false statements to Congress regarding the organisation's collaborative work overseas.

The US Department of Health and Human Services initiated official debarment proceedings against the group. Authorities suspended financial support after evidence emerged that the organisation had violated the terms of its National Institutes of Health grant, the report states.

The Congressional Case Against Wuhan Research

The comprehensive congressional document asserts that a laboratory-related incident involving gain-of-function research remains the most plausible origin of the Covid-19 crisis, according to the subcommittee's report. Investigators concluded that current regulatory frameworks for managing such high-risk virology studies are incomplete and lack global applicability, the report states.

The committee found that the National Institutes of Health fostered an institutional environment where senior officials openly evaded federal record-keeping laws, according to the congressional report. Dr David Morens, a senior advisor to Dr Anthony Fauci, was singled out in the report for deliberately obstructing the probe.

The report alleges that Morens unlawfully deleted federal documents and shared non-public grant details directly with Dr Daszak. Additionally, the report claims that Dr Fauci encouraged the publication of a prominent scientific paper titled The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2 to support a narrative favouring the natural-origin theory over the lab leak hypothesis.

Allegations of Cover-Ups and Systemic Obstruction

Beyond the laboratory funding controversies, the report alleges that the government health department engaged in a multi-year campaign of delay to hinder the congressional inquiry. The report states that officials under-resourced the component responsible for responding to legislative oversight requests, potentially to conceal evidence that might embarrass senior figures.

The report also criticises broader mitigation policies. It reveals that the widely enforced six-foot social distancing recommendation was not supported by published scientific data, according to testimony. During closed-door testimony, Dr Fauci reportedly said that the guidance 'sort of just appeared' without definitive scientific backing.

State Failures and Global Mismanagement

Prolonged lockdowns inflicted significant economic and psychological harm across the population, the report states, with a particularly negative effect on younger citizens. The committee also noted a lack of conclusive evidence to support sweeping mask mandates.

Public health officials reportedly flip-flopped on the efficacy of masks without providing scientific data, causing a significant erosion of public trust, according to the congressional findings.

In New York, the subcommittee labelled former Governor Andrew Cuomo's March directive, which compelled nursing homes to admit infected patients, as 'medical malpractice', the report states. The subcommittee also accused the state executive chamber, currently led by Governor Kathy Hochul, of withholding thousands of documents without legal basis to shield previous officials from accountability, according to the report.

The subcommittee characterised the World Health Organisation's response as an 'abject failure', arguing that the global health body caved to pressure from the Chinese Communist Party, according to the congressional findings.

Meanwhile, domestic public health authorities misled the public through conflicting messaging, the report alleges. When those efforts failed, federal officials allegedly coordinated with the largest social media platforms to censor dissenting opinions and alternative narratives about the virus origins.

EcoHealth Alliance and Dr Daszak have not responded to requests for comment. Dr Fauci has previously denied allegations of scientific misconduct.