No, David Morens wasn't arrested for evading FOIA. He is still under investigation | Fact check
The claim: JAG arrested former Fauci advisor Dr. David Morens
A May 26 Real Raw News article claims that Dr. David Morens, former senior advisor to Dr. Anthony Fauci, is facing serious criminal charges.
“U.S. Navy JAG investigators on Saturday arrested former Fauci advisor Dr. David Morens on treason charges,” the article reads, referring to the Navy's Judge Advocate General Corps. “The arrest comes days after the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability raked the COVID-19 conspirator over the coals for using his personal email account to evade Freedom of Information Act requests. Morens also deleted countless emails pertaining to the origin of COVID-19.”
The article was shared more than 200 times on Facebook in four days, according to Crowdtangle, a social media analytics tool.
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Our rating: False
While Morens is at the center of a congressional investigation for avoiding public records laws, he has not been arrested or charged with treason. Real Raw News frequently publishes false claims about the arrests of high-profile figures.
Morens under congressional investigation, has not been arrested
The Real Raw News article describes the investigation into Morens, an infectious diseases expert who advised Fauci for 24 years during the latter's time as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
It came to light in June 2023 that Morens had been using his personal Gmail account to avoid public records requests. Lawmakers also accused him of deleting federal records about the origins of COVID-19 to prevent the media from getting ahold of them.
But Real Raw News is wrong that Morens has been arrested as a result of the investigation. There are no credible news reports about him being arrested or charged with treason. The website is a serial spreader of misinformation that often publishes fabricated stories about "white hats" trying to undermine "the deep state" by arresting government officials. Paste BN has previously debunked numerous other claims about the arrests of high-profile figures stemming from Real Raw News.
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In reality, Morens was placed on administrative leave from the National Institutes of Health in 2023 and has been under investigation by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. He testified in front of Congress about the origins of COVID-19 and the accusations against him on May 22.
The corps is a group of lawyers that advises on “national security law, military justice, administrative law, and Sailor and family legal support,” according to its website. It does not conduct civilian arrests.
Real Raw News could not be reached for comment.
Our fact-check sources:
- Science, May 23, House panel takes Fauci adviser to task for allegedly evading public records laws
- The Intercept, June 29, 2023, Top NIH Official Advised COVID Scientists That He Uses Personal Email to Evade FOIA
- House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, May 22, New COVID Select Memo Details Allegations of Wrongdoing and Illegal Activity by Dr. Fauci’s Senior Scientific Advisor
- House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Jan. 18, Wenstrup Releases Takeaways from Interview with Dr. Fauci’s Advisor
- House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Feb. 24, 2021, Email from Dr. David Morens
- GOP Oversight, May 22, A Hearing with the NIAID Senior Scientific Advisor, Dr. David Morens
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