Former NIH official accused of making emails 'disappear' pleads fifth before COVID subcommittee

Moore, a former FOIA public liaison for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), also declined to answer questions from Fox News in the hallway before the committee meeting.

The committee issued a subpoena for Moore on Monday.

“Instead of using the NIH's FOIA office to ensure the transparency and accountability the American people deserve, it appears that 'FOIA Lady' Margaret Moore has supported efforts to circumvent federal records laws,” said Representative Brad Wenstrup of Ohio, chairman of the subcommittee.

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Former NIH employee Margaret Moore declined to answer questions from Fox News' Chad Pergram ahead of her testimony before the House COVID-19 subcommittee. (Fox News/Reuters)

He added: “Your alleged plan to help NIH officials delete COVID-19 records and use their personal emails to avoid FOIA is appalling and deserves a thorough investigation.”

Moore's legal team has defended her right not to testify, claiming the former NIH employee was willing to assist the investigation through alternative means.

“Ms. Moore has worked in an advisory capacity with the Select Subcommittee to find an alternative to her participating in an interview, including expediting her own FOIA request for her own documents that she voluntarily provided to the Select Subcommittee,” she wrote Legal team.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is sworn in before testifying before the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Accountability Special Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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READ THE LETTER MOORE'S LAWYERS SUBMITTED TO THE COVID SUBCOMMITTEE – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

Moore worked for NIAID for over three decades, serving at times as a special assistant to Dr. Anthony Fauci.

She is accused of teaching other NIAID members “tricks” to hide records and avoid FOIA requests.

“From our Foia lady here, I learned how to make emails disappear after being challenged but before the search begins,” wrote Dr. David Morens, Fauci's senior advisor, in February 2021 in an email sent from his personal Gmail account. “Plus.” I deleted most of those previous emails after sending them to Gmail.”

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A building on the National Institutes of Health campus is seen in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Newsmakers)

The materials sought by the COVID subcommittee would provide insight into the NIH's relationship with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is widely believed to have been the origin of the coronavirus in 2019.

Other emails from May 2021 show the NIH General Counsel warning the FOIA office “not to publish anything related to EcoHealth Alliance/WIV,” where “WIV” refers to the Wuhan Institute.