The National Institutes of Health deleted two "sequencing runs" of pangolin coronavirus from its National Library of Medicine (NLM) at a Chinese researcher's request on the eve of U.S. COVID-19 lockdowns, months before a previously known removal requested by a different Chinese researcher.
The former Senate Finance Committee investigator told the John Solomon Reports podcast the feds are suddenly "moving heaven and earth" when it comes to the privacy of a researcher "associated with the Chinese government"
- This is "a huge contrast to what we see them doing" with U.S. government whistleblowers
The first emails obtained by Empower in the lawsuit showed an NIH staffer agreeing to remove a genetic sequence from public view in June 2020 upon the request of a Wuhan University researcher.
- The new batch of emails show NIH staffers deliberating how to respond to questions last fall from Jesse Bloom, who runs a virus and protein evolution lab at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.
NIH filed a motion for summary judgment
- The agency violated FOIA by first responding "months too late" to both requests, hiding responsive records that are not "deliberative" because they lack "give-and-take consultation," and failing to conduct "searches reasonably calculated to lead to responsive records."
- NIH's FOIA production included references to previous communication with Bloom and a "last set" of questions and answers regarding the Wuhan University sequences.
- It noted NIH didn't redact the curator and researcher from the March 2020 sequence removal even though its FOIA officer claims to have vetted the production.
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