Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told Newsmax on Tuesday that the indictment of former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases adviser Dr. David Morens suggests a deliberate effort to conceal information about U.S.-funded research tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kennedy told "Rob Schmitt Tonight" that early allegations surrounding former NIH Director Dr. Anthony Fauci and his associates are now gaining credibility.
"I remember when these allegations first surfaced about Dr. Fauci and the other minions, and we were all told that it's a conspiracy theory, and we're all a bunch of nuts," Kennedy said.
"We now know we're going to have to get some new conspiracy theories because all the old ones turned out to be true," he said.
Morens was indicted on federal charges including conspiracy against the United States, destruction and concealment of federal records, and making false statements.
Prosecutors allege he and others sought to evade federal transparency laws, including the Freedom of Information Act, during the pandemic.
According to the indictment, Morens used personal email accounts to conduct official business and avoid disclosure.
In one April 2020 email, he wrote, "Please send all replies here to Gmail," adding there were "things I can't say" over official channels.
In another message, Morens said, "I need to keep this correspondence off govt emails … for obvious reasons," citing multiple FOIA requests.
Prosecutors further allege the group "accomplished this objective by keeping discussions … on Morens' Gmail account" so the communications would not be available in response to the FOIA requests.
Kennedy pointed to the scope of the case and suggested additional charges could follow.
"I've read enough to know that these gentlemen, these three, one indicted, two unindicted coconspirators that will be indicted — they're in a lot of trouble," he said.
The indictment references communications with EcoHealth Alliance and its president, Peter Daszak, whose organization received U.S. funding for coronavirus research, including work involving partners in Wuhan, China.
Kennedy said the allegations, as laid out in court filings, suggest a broader attempt to obscure key details about that research.
"It looks to me like, at least as pleaded, that they were trying to hide the facts that they were conducting gain-of-function research in China using American taxpayer dollars, and that they tried to hide it," he said.
He added that emails cited in the case raise questions about Fauci's awareness.
"They imply in the emails, I don't know if it's true or not, that Dr. Fauci knew all about it," Kennedy said.
Fauci was pardoned by former President Joe Biden on his last day in office for any crimes committed between Jan. 1, 2014, and Jan. 24, 2024, even though Fauci had never been charged with a crime.
The pardon is related to his service as NIH director, as a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force and COVID-19 Response Team, and as chief medical adviser to the president.
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