Wenstrup Announces First Subpoena for “Proximal Origins” Author Kristian Andersen’s Private Communications with Co-Authors
WASHINGTON —Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) announced the Select Subcommittee’s first subpoena to compel the production of documents and communications from Dr. Kristian Anderson’s privately owned Slack messaging channel. The Chairman is specifically seeking Slack messages related to the drafting, publication, and critical reception of the infamous “The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2” (“Proximal Origins”) publication and the origins of COVID-19.
On June 16, 2023, Dr. Andersen testified in a voluntary transcribed interview that he and the co-authors of the paper communicated primarily over Slack instant messaging, not e-mail, while drafting the piece. Further, he testified that the Select Subcommittee would need to compel production of the Slack messages because not all the “Proximal Origins” contributors agreed to the release of the communications. In response to the newly acquired testimony and previous evidence that Dr. Fauci prompted the drafting of “Proximal Origins” to disprove the lab leak theory, today’s subpoena was issued as the next step in the Select Subcommittee’s investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
“We are following the breadcrumbs of a COVID-19 cover-up straight to the source. Dr. Kristian Andersen played a pivotal role in potentially suppressing the lab leak hypothesis, and Americans deserve to know why this happened, who was involved, and how we can prevent the intentional suppression of scientific discourse during a future pandemic.
“It is clear that the authors of “Proximal Origins” may have possessed conflicts of interest for supporting a zoonotic origin of COVID-19. Fully investigating the internal messages between the co-authors and contributors is a crucial step to inform future legislation and hold guilty parties accountable. The Select Subcommittee looks forward to Dr. Andersen’s speedy and comprehensive response to today’s subpoena,” said Chairman Wenstrup.
Read the Select Subcommittee’s cover letter here and subpoena here.
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