It may come as cold comfort to the millions who were negatively impacted by the Coronavirus Pandemic and the governmental response to same, but the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has initiated formal debarment proceedings as to Dr. Peter Daszak, President of EcoHealth Alliance, Inc.
The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic announced the proceedings on X/Twitter on Wednesday:
In addition, they issued the following press release:
Today, Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) commenced formal debarment proceedings against Dr. Peter Daszak, the President of EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. This move comes one week after HHS issued a government-wide suspension on all funds allocated to the EcoHealth organization. During a hearing with National Institutes of Health (NIH) Deputy Director Lawrence Tabak last week, the Chairman personally recommended that HHS take this important, additional action. Dr. Daszak’s individual debarment will prevent him from accepting funds from the U.S. taxpayer.
“EcoHealth Alliance President Dr. Peter Daszak’s personal debarment will ensure he never again receives a single cent from U.S. taxpayers nor has the opportunity to start a new, untrustworthy organization. This step comes just two weeks after the Select Subcommittee released substantial evidence of Dr. Daszak’s contempt for the American people, his flagrant disregard for the risks associated with gain-of-function research, and his willful violation of the terms of his NIH grant. Last night, based partially on that evidence, HHS doubled down on its recent suspension of funds to EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. by commencing debarment proceedings against the head of the organization.
“Dr. Daszak’s impending debarment does not shield him from accountability to the American people. It appears that Dr. Daszak may have lied under oath about his relationship with the Wuhan Institute of Virology and his compliance with NIH grant procedures. The Select Subcommittee intends to hold Dr. Daszak accountable for any dishonesty and reminds him that this debarment decision does not preclude him from producing all outstanding documents and answering all the questions of this Congressional body,” said Chairman Wenstrup.
As noted in the statement, the move follows similar proceedings initiated against EcoHealth Alliance, which Daszak heads. The full HHS letter to Daszak may be found here.
READ MORE:
HHS Suspends EcoHealth Alliance Funding As Lab Leak Investigation Continues
Those proceedings coincided with the revelation during a hearing with National Institutes of Health (NIH) Deputy Director Lawrence Tabak on May 16, in which he acknowledged what many have long suspected (and what we’ve been covering here at RedState for years): The NIH funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology via EcoHealth Alliance.
Obviously, as our Scott Hounsell wrote at the time:
Dr. Fauci’s Testimony to Rand Paul on ‘Gain-of-Function’ Research Was Filled With, Well, Lies
During this week’s hearing, Rep. Debbie Lesko asked NIH Principal Deputy Director Dr. Lawrence Tabak whether NIH funded GOF research at Wuhan Institute of Virology through EcoHealth Alliance, and Tabak responded:
“It depends on your definition of gain-of-function research. If you’re speaking about the generic term, yes, we did.”
Additionally, as Ward Clark reported yesterday, the subcommittee has released damning memos “that contained a wealth of troubling information, including secret communications channels, attempts to conceal information from the public, possible destruction of evidence, and even possible financial kickbacks.”
The bottom line result of the proceedings is that Daszak (and EHA) will no longer be able to receive taxpayer funds.
It would appear the house of COVID cards is coming down, though it’s doubtful there will ever be true accountability for the damage done by Daszak and his cohorts. For a detailed accounting of the misdeeds, see our related articles here.
