(MENAFN) US government agencies may have made duplicate payments for projects in labs in Wuhan, China, through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). According to CBS News, former federal investigator Diane Cutler found evidence of possible double payments as she investigated US government grants that supported high-risk research in China leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cutler's findings revealed that the U.S. government may have made duplicate payments for possible medical supplies, equipment, travel, and salaries. Sources familiar with the grant records did not dispute CBS News' reporting, and tens of millions of dollars could be involved.
Cutler was hired by Republican Senator Roger Marshall, who took her records to USAID and the internal watchdog at USAID. This led to the launch of a new investigation into the possible double-billing, details of which have not been previously reported. Cutler viewed over 50,000 documents during her investigation, and the U.S. government may have made duplicate payments for projects at labs in Wuhan, China. She also found potential theft of government funds, which is concerning as it involves dangerous pathogens and risky research.
Sources told CBS News that the investigation of possible double-billing could take at least six months to conclude. A spokesperson for USAID declined to comment, while a USAID inspector general spokesperson declined to comment "on the existence of a specific open investigation." The press office for NIH did not respond to CBS News' questions.
Senator Marshall is now calling for a 9/11-style commission to investigate this issue. He said that American taxpayers should care about this matter since they have already paid for the research. The U.S. government may have made duplicate payments for projects at labs in Wuhan, China, and there could be 1.1 million reasons why taxpayers should care about this issue. Marshall compared this situation to a plane crash and said that they want to find out why the plane crashes, go to any lengths to do that, and hope that there won't be another plane crash for the same reason.
While intelligence agencies have not reached a consensus on the origin of the pandemic, the FBI and Energy Department have found an accidental lab leak to be plausible. The Wuhan Institute of Virology conducted viral research in the city where the SARS-CoV-2 virus first emerged. During a recent congressional hearing regarding the origins of COVID-19, the House voted unanimously on a bill ordering the declassification of intelligence about the origins. Robert Redfield, the former director of the CDC, testified that money from the NIH, the State Department, USAID, and the Defense Department provided funding for high-risk virus research in Wuhan.
MENAFN14032023000045014228ID1105774348
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.