A recent inquiry found funds for coronavirus research in Wuhan, which is thought to have launched the epidemic, may have been double-billed to US taxpayers.
Possible Theft
Former federal investigator Diane Cutler for the House Energy and Commerce Committee discovered evidence pointing to the “possible theft” of tens of millions of taxpayer dollars.
These funds were allotted to the Wuhan laboratories, which are at the core of inquiries over the origin of COVID, for the purchase of medical supplies, equipment costs, and wages.
.@CBS_Herridge has the scoop: Interview w/ congressional investigator Diane Cutler following the money to Wuhan labs https://t.co/5AXbkWcGvm #FollowTheDocuments
— Paul D. Thacker (@thackerpd) March 13, 2023
Concerns were raised about the research. It featured harmful diseases and was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
During an examination of 50,000 papers, Cutler told CBS News that she discovered evidence suggesting double billing and possible government money fraud. A government watchdog condemned the NIH for failing to keep an eye on US-sponsored viral trials in China.
An unintentional lab leak has lately been ruled likely by the FBI and Energy Department. Before the epidemic, Cutler was looking into US government funds that funded coronavirus-related research in China.
Six Months!
Republican Senator Roger Marshall, who hired Cutler, forwarded the results of the inquiry to USAID and its internal inspector. According to sources cited by CBS News, the overpayments might total tens of millions of dollars. It can take up to six months to complete the inquiry.
Outstanding work by Senator Marshall and his super investigator, Diane Cutler. EcoHealth leadership may end up in chains if this is true. It adds a new criminal angle to the charges against them for contributing to COV19’s creation and scientific coverup. https://t.co/8hO4iT4oIU
— David Asher (@dasher8090) March 13, 2023
The EcoHealth Alliance, a non-profit at the core of the COVID lab leak controversy, justified its connections to the Wuhan facility by claiming the virus’s emergence in the city, where it financed dangerous research, was merely a coincidence.
Before the outbreak, the non-profit donated millions of dollars from US taxpayers to the lab to support risky coronavirus research.
The infection that originated from the Chinese facility was most certainly produced by taxpayer-funded gain-of-function research, according to experts who testified before the House panel looking into COVID, including the head of Trump’s CDC and a former Biden staff member.
The duplicate billing, according to EcoHealth Alliance, was a misunderstanding of grant documents and the organization vehemently refuted the allegations made by CBS News.
It also stated the Wuhan lab received less than $1.3 million in grants from the NIH and USAID for projects between 2014 and 2021.
According to Cutler’s inquiry, there may have been a duplicate charge to US taxpayers for coronavirus research contracts in Wuhan, which might have resulted in the theft of tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer money.
The NIH and USAID financed the research, which raised questions about hazardous diseases and unsafe research. How closely the government was monitoring the research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) lab has been called into suspicion as a result of the inquiry.
This article appeared in The Political Globe and has been published here with permission.
