Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) released documents revealing that the FBI blocked the questioning of Wuhan-linked then-EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak. While Customs and Border Protection (CBP) prepared the formal questioning, the FBI asked agents to stop the action.
According to the documents, CBP flagged Daszak as “an extremely high person of interest” upon his more than fifteen years of work with the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and coronavirus research. Records indicated that “much of the funding DASZAK receives is put towards gain of function research,” Paul’s office explained.
The documents detail that CBP intended to question Daszak on whether the World Health Organization (WHO) visited the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), if he brought samples into the United States, or if he mailed samples from China. Discussing gain-of-function research, the documents explain, “In gain of function research, genome sequences are reconstructed/reformulated and are inserted into human/animal cells to be studied on how the ‘new’ sequence effects humans and/or animals. There is a lot of criticism on gain of function research in regards to ethics and if the science is worth the risks of creating a potentially harmful virus or disease.”
One email included in the documents from a CBP officer says that Daszak was previously referred due to his “connections” to WIV and associated scientists. “Daszak is an extremely high person of interest and should have a thorough inspection either outbound/inbound,” the email read, noting that there was also a “possibility” that he carried or mailed samples from China. Daszak also “received criticism for his inclusion on the WHO team for possible conflict of interest due [to] his ties to WIV.”
Another email states that CBP was advised by FBI New York that officers “do not stop” Daszak.
According to a 2024 report from the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, Daszak “repeatedly violated the terms of the NIH grant awarded to EcoHealth,” the release said.
According to the report, EcoHealth Alliance “violated its grant terms and conditions by failing to report a potentially dangerous experiment conducted by the WIV.” EcoHealth Alliance was required to report gain-of-function experiments that displayed “greater than ‘on log growth,’” meaning that the virus was altered to be 10 times more infectious. The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) believed an unreported experiment facilitated by WIV violated this policy.
EcoHealth Alliance also failed to submit a research report until nearly two years after its initial deadline.
