EcoHealth Alliance president to testify on COVID origins, Wuhan lab taxpayer-funded research

EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak is expected to publically attest connected Wednesday earlier nan House Select Subcommittee connected nan Coronavirus Pandemic.

According to legislature lawmakers, EcoHealth – a U.S.-based nonprofit whose ngo is to forestall pandemics – utilized payer dollars "to money vulnerable gain-of-function research astatine nan Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV)" successful China.

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Committee Chair Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, is group to lead nan hearing, but House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., House Subcommittee connected Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith, R-Va., and House Subcommittee connected Health Chair Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., are besides expected to be to inquire questions of Daszak.

Peter Daszak, right, Thea Fischer, left, and different members of nan World Health Organization squad investigating nan origins of nan COVID-19 coronavirus get astatine nan Wuhan Institute of Virology successful Wuhan, China, connected Feb. 3, 2021. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

The proceeding is expected to statesman astatine 10 a.m.

Daszak testified down closed doors successful November, but House Republicans said his grounds contained galore "discrepancies," according to a missive from Wenstrup and different GOP committee chairs sent to Daszak past month.

"These revelations undermine your credibility arsenic good arsenic each actual assertion you made during your transcribed interview," Wenstrup and nan others wrote. "The Committees person a correct and an responsibility to protect nan integrity of their investigations, including nan accuracy of grounds during a transcribed interview. We induce you to correct nan record." 

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Lawmakers are calling connected Daszak to reside nan discrepancies successful his grounds and publically explicate EcoHealth’s narration pinch nan Wuhan Institute of Virology. Lawmakers besides said nan discrepancies raise "serious questions astir nan veracity of EcoHealth’s nationalist statements, including their insistence that nan investigation they funded astatine nan WIV could not person caused nan pandemic." 

Security unit guidelines extracurricular nan Wuhan Institute of Virology successful Wuhan, China, connected Feb. 3, 2021. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

But Daszak's nationalist proceeding is of liking to lawmakers connected some sides of nan aisle.

A spokesperson for Democrats connected nan COVID subcommittee told Fox News Digital that passim nan Congress, they person "underscored nan value of pursuing and prioritizing forward-looking reforms that heighten biosafety standards successful nan United States and astir nan globe truthful that we tin trim nan threat of early outbreaks and forestall early pandemics."

"In nan Select Subcommittee’s probe of federally funded research, grounds and documents reviewed by Select Subcommittee Democrats raise superior concerns that EcoHealth Alliance disregarded national reporting requirements that guarantee grantees are accountable to nan American people," nan spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "We look guardant to Dr. Daszak’s grounds earlier nan Select Subcommittee connected this matter."

Fox News Digital antecedently reported that EcoHealth Alliance received millions of dollars successful grants from nan National Institutes of Health (NIH). U.S. payer costs flowed to Chinese entities conducting coronavirus investigation done EcoHealth Alliance.

This position shows nan P4 laboratory, halfway left, astatine nan Wuhan Institute of Virology successful Wuhan, China, connected May 27, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

That money – astatine slightest $600,000 – was redirected to nan Wuhan Institute of Virology and went toward investigation to measure nan transmission of bat coronaviruses to humans. The investigation included conducting RNA extractions and DNA sequencing connected bat samples arsenic good arsenic biologic experiments connected pathogen spillover from bats to humans. 

EcoHealth Alliance besides received much than $200,000 that was redirected to Wuhan University and went toward illness surveillance investigation activities, including postulation of biologic samples from group successful China pinch precocious levels of vulnerability to bats for Wuhan Institute of Virology to behaviour further screening.

Former U.S. authorities officials, for illustration erstwhile NIH Director Francis Collins, said nan U.S. payer money was not approved to behaviour gain-of-function research, which is investigation that involves modifying a microorganism to make it much infectious among humans.

"Dr. Daszak’s closed-door grounds raised superior concerns astir EcoHealth Alliance’s narration pinch nan Wuhan Institute of Virology," Wenstrup told Fox News Digital successful a statement. "Even aft nan Select Subcommittee reminded Dr. Daszak that he could beryllium taxable to criminal prosecution if he lied to nan Committees, Dr. Daszak made galore claims that seemed to beryllium inconsistent pinch extracurricular grounds and erstwhile revelations." 

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"We are looking guardant to an honorable forum wherever nan American group tin perceive straight from nan President of EcoHealth Alliance and yet person nan answers astir nan origins of COVID-19 that they deserve," Wenstrup said.

The U.S. Energy Department and nan FBI person wished that COVID-19 apt emerged from a laboratory leak successful China.