Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., on Wednesday told Newsmax newly disclosed documents and the indictment of a former National Institutes of Health adviser raise further questions about federal transparency and oversight during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking on Newsmax's "Bianca Across the Nation," Johnson highlighted the indictment of Dr. David Morens, a former senior adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci, who faces charges related to alleged violations of federal record-keeping laws and concealment of emails tied to the origins of the coronavirus outbreak in China.
Johnson credited his staff with uncovering key communications in a large cache of records obtained during congressional oversight efforts.
"Big shoutout to my staff who pulled that needle out of the haystack," Johnson said, referring to a production of roughly 115,000 pages obtained from a university that had received federal grant funding.
According to Johnson, the documents included an email in which Morens allegedly discussed ways to avoid public disclosure requirements.
"That's destruction of federal records," Johnson said, adding that the email suggested sensitive information had been sent to a personal Gmail account.
The Wisconsin Republican also raised concerns about federal health agencies' handling of vaccine safety monitoring.
He said a report compiled by his office indicated that officials were made aware in early 2021 of potential flaws in an analytical system used to detect adverse events.
"In our report, it shows that Peter Marks was presented information on March 1st of 2021 that the analytic system they were using to look at the data was going to hide, was going to mask the safety signals," Johnson said, referring to a top Food and Drug Administration official.
Johnson said that weeks later, an alternative system identified dozens of potential safety signals, including cases involving serious conditions such as cardiac events and strokes.
He alleged that officials continued using the original system despite being warned about its limitations.
"They ignored it," Johnson said.
"They still are using the old system that they know ... masks, it hides these signals."
Johnson further argued that federal officials who were aware of these issues did not adequately inform the public.
He suggested that such actions could have had consequences for individuals who relied on government assurances regarding vaccine safety.
Federal health agencies have maintained that COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the United States are safe and effective, and they have emphasized ongoing monitoring systems to track potential adverse events.
The case against Morens and the claims raised by Johnson come as debates continue over the government's pandemic response and transparency.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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