House Republicans sent a letter to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Wednesday, demanding that the body not destroy any materials concerning the origins of COVID-19, and urging further transparency of the NIH’s knowledge of the origins.
The Committee on Energy and Commerce sent 12 letters to the NIH between March 18, 2021, through October 31, 2022, asking for information regarding the origins of COVID-19 and NIH’s grant to EcoHealth Alliance, among other topics, the letter states.
The committee’s 12 letters have gone “largely unanswered,” according to the letter, and the Wednesday letter urges the NIH to respond to the “longstanding” requests “immediately, but no later than December 16, 2022.”
The letter was addressed to Lawrence A. Tabak, the senior official performing the duties of the director of the NIH, and was authored by three Republicans in leadership positions of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Subcommittee of Health, and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
The authors included Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Kentucky Rep. Brett Guthrie, and Virginia Rep. Morgan Griffith.
The leaders also serves as a formal request for the NIH to not destroy any records or materials relating to the origins of COVID-19.
“You should construe this preservation notice as an instruction to take all reasonable steps to prevent the destruction or altercation, whether intentionally or negligently, of all documents, communications, and other information, including electronic information and metadata, that are or may be responsive to this congressional inquiry,” the letter states.
“This instruction includes all electronic messages sent using official and personal accounts or devices, including records created using text messages, phone-based message applications, or encryption software,” it adds.
11.30.22 Letter to Dr. Tabak by Diana Glebova on Scribd
House Republicans have been in discussions of launching further probes into the origins of COVID-19, now that they have a majority. (RELATED: Fauci, Top Biden Officials Forced To Give Depositions In COVID-19 Censorship Case)
“To every American who lost a loved one to COVID, every nurse and first responder who worked night & day to fight COVID and keep us safe, & every child who has faced a mental health emergency…they deserve answers.”@cathymcmorris on why we must investigate COVID-19’s origins ↓ pic.twitter.com/8xgle8hiD5
— Energy & Commerce GOP (@HouseCommerce) June 29, 2021
In 2021, McMorris Rodgers said Americans “deserve answers” on the origins, given the virus’ impact.