Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has released a collection of emails that shed new light on the COVID-19 pandemic's origins. The emails in question, disclosed publicly by Sen. Paul on Tuesday, involve communications between key figures at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and EcoHealth Alliance—a nonprofit involved in global health research.

The emails include discussions about a trove of 15,000 samples from Wuhan and the potential to map the genomes of over 700 coronaviruses. However, these discussions were never disclosed publicly by Dr. Fauci. David Morens, a senior adviser to Dr. Fauci, is shown in these communications potentially attempting to bypass official channels by using his personal email for sensitive discussions.

On Tuesday subpoena was issued for Dr. Morens. The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic wants to investigate whether Morens' use of personal email was an attempt to evade the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which ensures government transparency.

Brad Wenstrup, (R-OH), chairman of a House subcommittee issued the subpoena for documents from his personal email about COVID-19 origins. Morens, who faces whistleblower accusations of using private email to avoid transparency, will also testify publicly later this year. In emails made public by EcoHealth Alliance, Morens is accused of giving Dr. Peter Daszak access to confidential information and insights into internal National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases discussions.

One email revealed Morens discussing Fauci's involvement in managing the fallout of a halted EcoHealth Alliance grant, writing, "Tony is now fully aware I think and is I am told involved in some sort of damage control." In another, Dr. Daszak opts for non-official communication, stating, "David – We’ll communicate with you via gmail from now on," and alarmingly noting, "we have 15,000 samples in freezers in Wuhan."

Senator Rand Paul has been vocal about his suspicions and the need for accountability. “Newly discovered emails suggest a cover-up and raise disturbing questions about what Dr. Fauci and others at NIH knew about the origins of the pandemic,” said Paul. He accused Fauci of being "involved in some sort of damage control" after the potential risks associated with NIH-funded research became apparent.

In June 2023, the Select Subcommittee disclosed a series of emails suggesting Dr. Morens concealed COVID-19 information, stating he preferred using Gmail to avoid Freedom of Information Act requests and would "delete anything I don’t want to see in the New York Times."

Following this, the National Institutes of Health placed Morens on administrative leave and removed him from his position after a letter from the subcommittee highlighted his possible violations of federal records laws.

In October 2023, Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) issued a subpoena for NIH records regarding Morens's actions. Despite an internal investigation, NIH did not disclose its findings to Congress or the public. EcoHealth Alliance President Dr. Peter Daszak, in a November 2023 interview, described Morens as a “mentor.” The Department of Health and Human Services intervened in December 2023 to prevent Morens from discussing COVID-19 origins during a scheduled interview.

Morens finally appeared for a transcribed interview in January 2024, after which Wenstrup pledged to secure access to Morens’ personal email. Highlights from the interview were later published. In April of this year, the Subcommittee unveiled whistleblower evidence further implicating Morens in deliberately circumventing transparency laws to obscure discussions about COVID-19’s origins.