HHS is suspending funding for the head of the organization that funded coronavirus research in Wuhan

The Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday immediately suspended all federal funding to Peter Daszak, president of the nonprofit research organization EcoHealth Alliance, for violating federal grant protocols.

The announcement comes a week after HHS immediately cut off all funding to EcoHealth because the company misled government agencies about the institute’s taxpayer-funded research activities at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. Some Republicans claim that the institute’s activities may have been the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The HHS suspension and debarment official wrote in the action memorandum on the issue that the evidence against Daszak is sufficient to immediately suspend him and initiate debarment proceedings, and that the step is “necessary to protect the public interest.”

“The NIH’s conclusion that the WIV research likely violated NIH biosafety protocols is undisputed,” the plea memorandum for Daszak’s case states.

Daszak was listed as principal investigator for a grant project studying bat coronaviruses in Wuhan, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The WIV was the sub-awardee and received funding from EcoHealth to conduct experiments in China.

Under the terms of the grant, Daszak was required to report on potentially dangerous research being conducted at WIV, including the rapid growth of novel and chimeric coronaviruses that could have the potential to cause a deadly public health crisis.

When the NIH requested the laboratory notebooks and raw data that could prove that the experiments conducted at WIV were not dangerous, Daszak was unable to provide the documentation.

“The information in the file revealed that the EHA and thus Dr. Daszak failed to adequately monitor WIV’s compliance with the terms and conditions (of the grant) and therefore EHA’s compliance with the conditions itself,” the complaint resolution memorandum states.

EHA did not respond Washington ExaminerPlease comment on Daszak’s personal exclusion. A spokesman for the organization had previously stated that they wanted to prove the organization’s innocence through the formal exclusion process.

The actions taken by HHS against EHA and Daszak personally come just weeks after the House Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic uncovered evidence that NIH grant funds directed to the WIV were not properly monitored by EHA.

“The personal exclusion of the President of the EcoHealth Alliance, Dr. Peter Daszak, will ensure that he will never again receive a dime from U.S. taxpayers or have the opportunity to create a new, untrustworthy organization,” Select Subcommittee Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) said in a press release on Wednesday morning.

During Daszak’s public hearing on May 1, Democrats and Republicans on the subcommittee intensely questioned the renowned scientist for nearly four hours, with partisans on both sides increasing the pressure.

Although there are sharp disagreements in the subcommittee over whether the experiments at WIV are causing the COVID-19 pandemic, there is strong bipartisan agreement about Daszak and EHA’s alleged misconduct regarding the WIV grant.

HHS will undergo a formal debarment process for Daszak, which means a long-term ban on receiving federal funding from any government agency. According to the General Services Administration, it is a primary public mechanism designed to protect the federal government from fraud, waste and abuse by avoiding “doing business with irresponsible actors.”

The exclusion is usually only enforced for a period of three years, but can be extended due to aggravating circumstances.

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“DR. “The impending expulsion of Daszak does not shield him from accountability to the American people,” said Wenstrup. “The Select Subcommittee intends to hold Dr. Daszak accountable for any dishonesty and reminds him that this expulsion decision does not protect him prevents us from producing all outstanding documents and answering all questions from this congressional body.”

Earlier this month, the Republican subcommittee recommended that the Justice Department criminally investigate Daszak for knowingly making false claims to obtain federal funds and deceiving the U.S. government through fraud.