Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has publicly released documents that suggest the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) intervened to prevent U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents from inspecting a British zoologist and disease ecology expert, Peter Daszak, upon his return to the United States. The planned questioning was related to Daszak's participation in the World Health Organization's investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
Senator Paul asserted on X, formerly Twitter, that while public officials claimed a COVID-19 lab leak was 'not plausible,' their internal communications suggest otherwise. He announced the launch of 'The Reading Room,' an online repository where the public can access these documents and other records related to his ongoing investigation, offering direct evidence rather than just conclusions.
CBP's High-Interest Flagging and Planned Interrogation
The documents reveal that CBP's National Targeting Center identified Daszak as a 'high person of interest' in anticipation of his arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport on February 5, 2021. The flagging was primarily due to his extensive collaboration, spanning over 15 years, with the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and his long-standing professional relationship with its leading researcher, Zhengli Shi.
Daszak was also noted for his role as the principal investigator on grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that funded bat coronavirus research in China. A significant portion of this funding, according to the released records, was directed towards gain-of-function research.
The records further indicate that the NIH had previously requested Daszak to retrieve the original type-specimen utilized by WIV for genetic analysis and bring it back to the U.S. Additionally, he was asked to clarify various aspects of his collaboration with the lab, including providing relevant cell phone data.
CBP officials had formulated plans to question Daszak extensively regarding his activities in China, his contacts within the WIV, and whether he had illegally collected or transported biological samples. Internal communications within CBP highlighted concerns about Daszak's involvement in gain-of-function research and potential conflicts of interest stemming from federal grants.
FBI Intervention Halts Inspection
However, just three days before Daszak's scheduled arrival in New York, CBP received a directive from the FBI’s New York Field Office requesting that the planned stop be canceled. Consequently, the inspection never took place.
