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U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents were preparing to interrogate a British zoologist upon his return from a World Health Organization COVID-19 origins investigation when the FBI intervened and ordered them to cease, according to documents released Monday by Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. The Kentucky Republican said the materials demonstrate that federal officials privately acknowledged a lab leak scenario despite publicly dismissing the theory as implausible.
Peter Daszak, former president of the nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance, was flagged as a “high person of interest” ahead of his February 5, 2021 arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport. CBP’s National Targeting Center identified him due to more than 15 years of partnership with China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology and his connections to its principal researcher, Zhengli Shi, as well as his role overseeing National Institutes of Health grants that supported bat coronavirus research in China.
Border officials intended to question Daszak about his Chinese activities, his WIV contacts, and whether he unlawfully possessed biological materials. The documents indicate the NIH had requested that Daszak retrieve an original specimen used by WIV for genetic sequencing and submit cell phone records related to his laboratory collaboration.
Three days before Daszak’s scheduled arrival, the FBI’s New York Field Office submitted a request asking CBP to cancel the planned stop. Internal communications documented concerns about Daszak’s involvement in gain-of-function research and potential conflicts of interest related to federal funding.
Daszak served as one of 10 members on the WHO team investigating SARS-CoV-2’s origins and faced public scrutiny over his participation given his financial and professional ties to WIV. He now leads Nature Health Global, a scientific nonprofit concentrating on ecological research and pandemic prevention.
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