Has the plague of illiberal ideologies become terminal? The post The American University‚ RIP appeared first on Frontpage Mag.

Gov. Abbott led an effort to enforce its border initiative dubbed “Operation Lone Star‚” and the federal government has fought him every step of the way because they want open borders. This is America in 2023‚ where you need a law to close the border‚ and the federal government brazenly breaks the law and sues […] The post Gov Abbott Signs Border Bill As Biden Expands the Free-for-All appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

President Joe Biden finally did the bare minimum this week to respond to the dozens of Islamic terrorist attacks that have been launched against commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea over the last several weeks. The announcement from the Department of Defense comes after the Yemen-based Houthis‚ an Iranian-backed terrorist group‚ have launched missiles‚ suicide drones‚ and have hijacked ships with ties to Israel ever since Israel launched its offensive against Hamas in response to the October 7 terrorist attacks. The administration unveiled “the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian‚ an important new multinational security initiative under the umbrella of the Combined Maritime Forces and the leadership of its Task Force 153‚ which focuses on security in the Red Sea.” Operation Prosperity Guardian is comprised of several countries combining forces to ensure safety in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden‚ including the U.S.‚ United Kingdom‚ Bahrain‚ Canada‚ France‚ Italy‚ Netherlands‚ Norway‚ Seychelles‚ and Spain. The goal of the operation is to ensure “freedom of navigation for all countries and bolstering regional security and prosperity‚” a statement said. Biden has repeatedly refused to launch strikes against the Houthis‚ even though some of their attacks appear to have targeted U.S. destroyers operating in the area. Biden’s lack of action has frustrated many of his top military officials who say that he has done nothing to establish deterrence as he does not want to risk upsetting Iran. The Associated Press reported that the attacks have upended global commerce as some of the world’s largest shipping companies and oil producers have had to reroute their ships‚ taking significantly longer routes that can delay shipments by weeks and drive up costs for consumers. The most recent terrorist attacks in the Red Sea happened on Monday‚ according to a statement from U.S. Central Command. “The chemical/oil tanker motor vessel SWAN ATLANTIC was attacked by a one-way attack drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from a Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen‚” the statement said. “The Cayman Islands flagged SWAN ATLANTIC reported impact on the vessel and requested assistance‚ the USS CARNEY (CCG 64)‚ the closest U.S. warship‚ responded to assess damage.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “At approximately the same time‚ the bulk cargo ship M/V CLARA reported an explosion in the water near their location‚” the statement continued. “This attack is separate from the attack on the M/V SWAN ATLANTIC. There was no request for support or report of damage.” On December 18‚ at approximately 9:00 (Sanaa time)‚ there were two Houthi militant attacks against commercial shipping in the Southern Red Sea. The chemical/oil tanker motor vessel SWAN ATLANTIC was attacked by a one-way attack drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile launched… pic.twitter.com/mPK4g8FN0t — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 19‚ 2023

Because of course they were headed to Florida

'With my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children‚ guilty‚' Ruby Franke told the judge

President Joe Biden’s unwillingness to stop the border crisis is an impeachable offense that eclipses the issues surrounding his ties to his family’s alleged influence peddling‚ a member of the House Homeland Security Committee says.  “Just on the border alone‚ we have a commander in chief that is operating in high crimes and misdemeanors because he is not securing our homeland‚” Rep. Josh Brecheen‚ R-Okla.‚ told The Daily Signal. “That—even aside from the bribery element—the Constitution sets up those three elements of treason‚ bribery‚ and high crimes and misdemeanors for impeachment.” The House voted last week to formalize an impeachment inquiry into Biden as three of its committees—Oversight and Accountability‚ Ways and Means‚ and Judiciary—investigate allegations of corruption and influence peddling. Brecheen points to Article 4 Section 4 of the Constitution‚ which says: “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government‚ and shall protect each of them against invasion.” “The bribery element is real. I think there are billows of smoke coming out‚ and there is fire‚” Brecheen said‚ referring to the probe of the Biden family’s overseas business deals in China‚ Ukraine‚ Romania‚ and elsewhere.  “For me‚” the Oklahoma Republican added‚ “I start with the belief that when you violate the clear reading of Article 4 Section 4‚ which guarantees to every state a republican form of government‚ a republic‚ and to protect against an invasion‚ we have an invasion.” >;>;>; Related: These 15 Republican Senators Oppose ‘Secret Negotiations With Democrats Who Want an Open Border’ Conservative legal commentators—among them radio and TV host Mark Levin‚ former chief of staff to Reagan administration Attorney General Edwin Meese‚ and Andrew McCarthy‚ a columnist for National Review who was a federal prosecutor in New York—previously have said that Biden’s failure to enforce border law is impeachable. However‚ they didn’t specifically reference an “invasion.” Biden is undermining the power of Congress.https://t.co/mfer8Q8AK1— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) December 18‚ 2023 On his Sunday night show on the Fox News Channel‚ and previously‚ Levin suggested applying Article 2 Section 3 of the Constitution‚ which states that the president “shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.”  McCarthy has said that not protecting the nation’s southern border amounts to “dereliction of duty” by Biden.  Impeach Biden over the Security Catastrophe He’s Caused at the Border – my weekend @NRO column … https://t.co/6jVyDQSQDN— Andy McCarthy (@AndrewCMcCarthy) December 31‚ 2022 The Biden administration currently is allowing about 10‚000 illegal border crossings per day‚ including military-age males. Meanwhile‚ U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities have been reported to be nearly empty because of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 policies.  The three House committees are investigating potential corruption and influence peddling‚ and what role Joe Biden played‚ as vice president to President Barack Obama and a pending presidential candidate‚ in helping to bring in tens of millions in foreign money to his family’s shell companies.  The committees have not announced an investigation of the border crisis‚ however.  House investigators have provided evidence that checks went directly to Joe Biden‚ while a former business partner of his son Hunter Biden testified that then-Vice President Biden was on about 20 related phone calls and had meetings with his son’s business associates. For several years now‚ the senior Biden has denied any role in his family’s business dealings. Hunter Biden said last week that his father was not “financially involved” in his business activities.  After the House formally authorized the impeachment inquiry Wednesday by a vote of 221-212‚ largely along party lines‚ the president briefly addressed the border in a statement denouncing that vote as a “stunt.” “We have to address the situation at our southern border‚ and I am determined to try to fix the problem‚” Biden’s statement said. “We need funding to strengthen border security‚ but Republicans in Congress won’t act to help.”  Brecheen argued that the border issues overshadow the issues related to Hunter Biden’s business deals and distribution of the proceeds.  Brecheen said that what is happening at the border is an invasion‚ based on the potential for terrorism‚ crime‚ and human trafficking as a result.   “People want to wordsmith it and say what is happening with 9 million people coming into this country is not an army‚” the Oklahoma Republican told The Daily Signal. “I’m contending‚ and many people are contending‚ that you’ve got people coming into this country specific to the special interest alien list‚ specific to the terrorist watchlist.” “We have people that want to do this country harm that are in this country‚” Breecheen added. “They have learned they can come into this country because of what this administration has brought forth‚ 9 million [illegal aliens]. So‚ I believe that invasion is real. I believe the threat of terrorism is real for our nation.”  The White House did not respond to The Daily Signal’s inquiries regarding the border element of this report.  But in a post Monday on X‚ formerly Twitter‚ Ian Sams‚ senior adviser to the White House counsel’s office‚ again alleged that Republicans are being partisan and lack evidence to impeach the president.  On their Biden impeachment stunt:(L) Speaker Johnson falsely insisting House Republicans “will not prejudge the investigation’s outcome”(R) The House Republican leading the effort‚ James Comer‚ on rightwing radio the day after their vote last week: “I want to impeach him now” pic.twitter.com/zp0OsehyEi— Ian Sams (@IanSams46) December 18‚ 2023 Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Biden’s Failure to Stop Border ‘Invasion’ Is Impeachable Offense‚ GOP House Member Says appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Nearly one-third of Senate Republicans are asking their leaders not to finalize a border agreement with President Joe Biden and other Democrats without allowing members to review it.  The 15 GOP members sent a letter dated Sunday to Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso‚ R-Wyo.‚ to ask for a meeting of all Senate Republicans no sooner than Jan. 8‚ when the House reconvenes.  “Rushed and secret negotiations with Democrats who want an open border and who caused the current crisis will not secure the border‚” the GOP senators’ letter to Barrasso says.   A spokeswoman for Barrasso told The Daily Signal on Monday: “Chairman Barrasso received a request from 15 colleagues for a conference meeting on immigration. He will work with all Republican senators to schedule the meeting.” Sen. James Lankford‚ R-Okla.‚ was named as the GOP point man to negotiate a border agreement with Senate Democrats. This would be part of a larger deal to fund border security within a national security spending bill to provide U.S. financial aid both to Ukraine’s defense against Russia and Israel’s war with Hamas.  House Republicans have passed separate funding bills for border security and Israel.  “The fact that President Biden and congressional Democrats are the root cause of the current crisis [at the southern border] is a major problem in conducting good faith negotiations with them‚” Sen. Ron Johnson‚ R-Wis.‚ one of the 15 Republicans who signed the letter‚ said in a written statement Sunday.  The other GOP senators who signed the letter are Mike Lee of Utah; Rick Scott and Marco Rubio of Florida; J.D. Vance of Ohio; Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee; Tommy Tuberville of Alabama; Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt of Missouri; Ted Budd of North Carolina; Jim Risch of Idaho; Roger Marshall of Kansas; Ted Cruz of Texas; Mike Braun of Indiana; and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. “Because President Biden has not faithfully executed existing law‚ lied repeatedly to the public‚ ignored and violated Supreme Court rulings‚ and failed to engage in meaningful negotiations on securing the border until only recently‚ it is impossible for to trust him to comply with whatever he agrees to‚” Johnson said. “That’s a real challenge for Republican negotiators.” Johnson also said he appreciated Lankford’s efforts‚ but added: “Whatever negotiators produce will need to be fully vetted‚ discussed‚ and understood—by members and the general public.” Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post 15 GOP Senators Warn Against Secret Border Deal With Democrats appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Many individuals who underwent gender-transition procedures are now warning others against using puberty blockers‚ cross-sex hormones‚ and surgery. Despite these warnings and the solid empirical evidence demonstrating the harms of “gender-affirming care‚” there are those who insist upon mislabeling the psychological issue of gender dysphoria as a physiological disability that requires physiological intervention. One of the latest twists in this unfolding story occurred in Missouri‚ one of 22 states whose legislators have enacted laws to protect children from irreversible medical interventions. Even though Missouri’s law grandfathered in patients currently being treated‚ University of Missouri Health announced in August that it would no longer provide puberty blockers and hormones to minors for the purpose of “gender transition.” That set the stage for a lawyer filing a federal lawsuit on behalf of two minor female patients in the midst of “gender treatment” to appear more like boys. Filed on Nov. 16‚ the suit seeks to force MU Health to resume prescribing puberty blockers and testosterone for the “gender transition.” One girl has been taking testosterone for 18 months; the other has been taking puberty blockers since she was 9 years old. Their prescriptions are running out‚ and neither MU Health nor any other provider in Missouri will refill them. The suit argues that gender dysphoria is a disability causing “physical impairment.” But to be clear‚ the gender dysphoria diagnosis was created to describe a psychological condition‚ not a physical one. Those formally diagnosed with gender dysphoria are supposed to have been given this designation based on psychological distress‚ not a physiological condition. In reality‚ the “physical impairments” associated with a simple determination of gender dysphoria are the result of the off-label use of drugs that are dispensed in service to the diagnosis‚ not because the body is missing a necessary chemical or because of an abnormal growth that must be removed. Puberty-blocking medication and cross-sex hormones have never been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the treatment of gender dysphoria. Its use is an experiment on children‚ based on speculation that it provides some benefit. In fact‚ recent studies have shown no benefit in minor patients who took them for this purpose. Instead‚ the drugs have shown to have serious and injurious side effects. The lawyer and his clients in the Missouri case seem to be unfamiliar with those effects. The risks and harms of using puberty-blocking medication include the following: Liver damage‚ bone thinning‚ and skeletal damage. Mental health problems. Brain swelling and vision loss in children (FDA 2022). Infertility‚ osteoporosis‚ and cardiovascular disease. The risks and harms associated with cross-sex hormone use include: For females taking testosterone: heart attacks and strokes‚ liver dysfunction‚ type 2 diabetes‚ male pattern baldness‚ deepened voice‚ and facial and body hair. For males taking estrogen: blood clots‚ heart attacks and strokes‚ breast cancer‚ weight gain‚ and insulin resistance. The effect of using puberty blockers followed by long-term use of cross-sex hormones is near-certain sterility. Given these harms‚ the only real case to make for a disability claim is for detransitioners. Those are the girls and boys‚ men and women‚ who were subjected to “gender-affirming care” and must now live with the resulting damage to their bodies. Heyer’s Own Gender Dysphoria Diagnosis Like so many people who go down this path‚ I thought I was born in the wrong body. My therapist‚ Dr. Paul Walker‚ agreed. Walker wasn’t a nobody. He was a world-renowned gender therapist and the chairperson of the committee that wrote the original Harry Benjamin International Standards of Care for the diagnosis and treatment of gender dysphoria in 1979. In 1981‚ Walker diagnosed me with gender dysphoria. His solution for me was hormones and surgery. The catchall diagnosis of gender dysphoria has proven to be one of the most ineffective‚ harmful‚ and reckless diagnoses for decades because the only “treatment” allowed in the United States is cross-sex hormones and surgery. Walker’s wrong diagnosis and misapplied remedy destroyed my family and career‚ leaving me to cope with a cascading series of horrific events that took me years to recover from. Walker ignored my adverse childhood experiences‚ drinking‚ and drug abuse. But he knew. And practitioners since then should have known as well. The indications have been there all along. Strike 1‚ 1979: ‘Too Many Suicides’ In 1979‚ the first warning shot “fired across the bow” against treating gender dysphoria with hormones and surgery came from Dr. Charles Ihlenfeld‚ an endocrinologist at Benjamin’s clinic in New York. Ihlenfeld‚ who administered cross-sex hormones to 500 men over six years‚ announced he was leaving the clinic to retrain in psychiatry so he could help these people. Ihlenfeld advised extreme caution in giving hormones and surgery because‚ in his opinion‚ 80% of the patients who want to change their sex shouldn’t do it. “There is too much unhappiness among people who have had the surgery‚” he said. “Too many of them end as suicides.” As for children‚ Ihlenfeld added he was against giving hormones to persons under 18 years of age‚ preferring that they be at least 20 or 21. “But in general‚ identity is still fluid in adolescence. There’s a chance that gender feelings still might change‚” he said. A follow-up study of boys in 2021 confirms Ihlenfeld’s comments. Almost 87% of the boys diagnosed as a child with gender dysphoria desisted by adulthood. Strike 2‚ 2004: ‘Sex Changes Not Effective’ In 2004‚ 25 years after Ihlenfeld’s comments‚ the University of Birmingham’s aggressive research intelligence facility reviewed “more than 100 international medical studies of post-operative transsexuals” and “found no robust evidence that gender-reassignment is clinically effective.” Chris Hyde‚ the facility’s director‚ noted‚ “[T]here’s still a large number of people who have the surgery but remain traumatize—often to the point of committing suicide.” Strike 3‚ 2023: ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ Is Dangerous In a 2023 article‚ Dr. Riittakerttu Kaltiala‚ the chief psychiatrist in the department of adolescent psychiatry at Finland’s Tampere University Hospital‚ spoke out. In “Gender-Affirming Care Is Dangerous. I Know Because I Helped Pioneer It‚” she tells her story of opening the first gender-identity service in Finland in 2011. She was surprised to see deteriorated health among minor patients and the advent of social contagion-linked gender dysphoria. When she published findings from the clinic‚ she encountered not reasonable concern from advocates‚ but hostile pushback. She says her vindication came in 2020 when Finland’s national medical body‚ COHERE‚ released its findings and recommendations regarding youth gender transition: “In light of available evidence‚ gender reassignment of minors is an experimental practice.” The authors concluded that gender transition should be postponed “until adulthood.” Now‚ Kaltiala advocates using the Finnish findings worldwide. Kaltiala asks the powerful question‚ “My country‚ and others‚ found there is no solid evidence supporting the medical transitioning of young people. Why aren’t American clinicians paying attention?” Now‚ Missouri lawyers representing cross-gender-identifying children want to turn the often-faux diagnosis of gender dysphoria into a disability. How many warnings will it take‚ over how many years‚ from doctors who work directly with this gender-distressed population‚ to stop this madness? This lawsuit must not prevail. It’s time to follow the science‚ honor God’s design of men and women‚ and continue taking measures to protect children. The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Gender Dysphoria Is About Confusion. So Is Its Latest Claim for Disability Status appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Increased U.S. funding to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia could drive up inflation along with the national debt‚ according to an analysis by The Heritage Foundation’s top budget expert.  Members of Congress are negotiating a deal to pass President Joe Biden’s national security bill‚ which includes about $60 billion in funding for Ukraine as well as money for border security and for Israel in its war with Hamas terrorists.  “New Ukraine ‘aid’ bill would bring the total to over $173 billion‚ [which is] over $1‚300 per American household and over $11‚500 per Ukrainian household‚” Richard Stern‚ director of The Heritage Foundation’s Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget‚ said in a post on X‚ formerly Twitter. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) ??New Ukraine “aid” bill would bring the total to over $173 billion‚ over $1‚300 per American household and over $11‚500 per Ukrainian household. This will continue to drive higher inflation and mortgage rates across the US – making every American family pay the price.— Richard A. Stern (@RichAStern) December 18‚ 2023 Biden‚ other Democrats‚ and some Republicans favor continued funding for Ukraine‚ which Russia invaded about 18 months ago. The House’s Republican majority argues that the Biden administration has failed to explain a clear strategy in Ukraine.  U.S. spending on Ukraine will increase both inflation and mortgage rates across America‚ Stern argues.  “If this new bill is implemented‚ our total aid to Ukraine will be more than the annual wages paid out to every American worker in all agriculture‚ mining‚ and oil and gas extraction industries‚” Stern said in a thread on X. “Our total aid to Ukraine would be more than the annual wages paid out to every American manufacturing worker that produces motor vehicles‚ parts‚ and other transportation equipment.” Stern noted that the spending will affect even Americans who don’t pay federal income taxes‚ because “you still pay through inflation taxes and slower overall economic growth.” In other sectors of the economy‚ the Federal Reserve’s policy of printing more currency since the COVID-19 pandemic prompted increases in the cost of used cars‚ energy‚ food‚ and housing for Americans‚ Stern said.  Since the beginning of COVID and dramatic federal deficit and Fed money printing increases‚ prices are up: 37.4% – used cars and trucks 30.4% – energy 24.4% – food 20.1% – overall housing costs 18.8% – overall But it gets even worse…— Richard A. Stern (@RichAStern) December 18‚ 2023 He also argued that increased federal spending is driving up interest and mortgage rates while wages are sluggish.  New federal spending is driving prices and interest rates‚ especially mortgage rates‚ sky-high. Since Biden took office‚ interest payments on a new median mortgage have tripled. pic.twitter.com/9ZC4NwuHkL— Richard A. Stern (@RichAStern) December 18‚ 2023 Interest payments on a new median mortgage have gone from 16.4% of a median worker’s pay to a staggering 41.9% – boxing tens of millions of Americans out of homeownership. pic.twitter.com/zq8Q9pZZIZ— Richard A. Stern (@RichAStern) December 18‚ 2023 “Bottom line‚” Stern wrote on X: “More Ukraine aid will mean more Fed money printing and more federal borrowing that drives inflation and interest rates and starves the economy of the money needed for growth.” Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post What Impact Biden’s Ukraine Funding Request Could Have on You and Economy appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Next month‚ the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic will interview Dr. Anthony Fauci‚ the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. After two days of behind-closed-doors interviews‚ the subcommittee will schedule a public hearing to take his sworn testimony. Fauci’s testimony will doubtless cover a wide variety of topics‚ ranging from masking to vaccine mandates. But rest assured that congressional investigators will zero in on Fauci’s knowledge of‚ and response to‚ crucial information concerning the origins of the pandemic in China. To secure a fully transparent accounting‚ House and Senate investigators are also pressing the administration to release key details about what Fauci and his colleagues knew about the origin of the pandemic‚ and when they knew it. But Biden administration officials continue to stall the release of relevant information‚ offering transparently lame excuses‚ to block congressional access and public disclosure of unredacted documents.   Team Biden’s persistent lack of transparency on COVID-19 has been nothing short of scandalous. Here is the latest proof: Exhibit A: Blocking Document Disclosure. In October 2017‚ well before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic‚ Dr. Ping Chen‚ an NIAID official‚ visited the Wuhan Institute of Virology and prepared a trip report for top NIAID officials. Sens. Rand Paul‚ R-Ky.‚ and Ron Johnson‚ R-Wis.‚ learned of the trip four years later and‚ in August 2021‚ wrote Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and acting National Institutes of Health Director Lawrence Tabak asking them to release unredacted records of Chen’s visit to Wuhan. In response‚ the Department of Health and Human Services instead provided a heavily redacted copy of Chen’s report‚ plus redacted emails. In a subsequent briefing for Senate staff‚ Dr. Melanie Egorin‚ HHS assistant secretary for legislation‚ said the redactions were for “security” reasons. But that excuse was clearly incorrect because‚ as the senators noted‚ HHS had already conceded that national security was not at issue and the documents themselves were unclassified. As Johnson remarked‚ “Given HHS’s extensive redactions of unclassified documents‚ I can only assume that the true nature of HHS’s ‘security’ interest is to protect itself from additional embarrassment over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.”    Johnson has since renewed his request to interview Chen and asked for a complete and unredacted copy of her report and related documents. Thus far‚ no response. Exhibit B: Flaunting Federal Records Rules. On June 11‚ 2021‚ Johnson‚ Paul‚ and three other Senate colleagues sent Becerra a letter requesting documents relating to NIH officials’ response to the pandemic’s origins. The senators had learned that Dr. David Morens‚ senior scientific adviser to Fauci‚ had emailed Dr. Peter Daszak‚ president of EcoHealth Alliance‚ on Jan. 9‚ 2020‚ asking Daszak for any “inside info” on the novel coronavirus. Daszak replied that NIAID had been funding coronavirus research for “the past five years” and taxpayer monies had been funneled to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. For several years‚ Daszak’s controversial firm had indeed gotten substantial NIAID funding; and the Wuhan Institute of Virology‚ which had been a center of China’s coronavirus research‚ had been a subcontractor of the EcoHealth Alliance.    According to Johnson’s account‚ upon receipt of the June 2021 letter‚ Morens told Daszak and a small group of his colleagues that he had retained “very few” documents on these “matters.” Morens cautioned the group to correspond with him outside of official channels at his Gmail address‚ adding‚ “I have tried to make sure I have retained no documents that might lead other members of ASTMH to be approached for similar document production.” (ASTMH stands for the “American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene‚” Morens’ little group). Among those receiving this Gmail warning were three prominent virologists‚ Dr. Kristian Andersen‚ Dr. Robert Garry and Dr. Edward Holmes‚ who had published a prominent 2020 article in Nature Medicine arguing that a COVID-19 lab origin was “improbable.” That article was a sharp and rapid reversal of their original assessment of an “unnatural” origin of the coronavirus.    When Johnson learned in August 2023 that Morens was apparently using his personal Gmail in communications concerning COVID-19 origins‚ he wrote Christi Grimm‚ HHS inspector general‚ asking her to investigate the apparent attempt to use to evade requests for public information under the Freedom of Information Act. Johnson also told Grimm that an unnamed whistleblower claimed that NIH officials may have destroyed sensitive federal records related to the Wuhan Institute of Virology‚ a serious criminal offense with severe penalties. For their part‚ NIH officials claimed they conducted an internal investigation of that allegation‚ and determined to their own satisfaction that the charge was without merit. Satisfied that there was nothing more to it‚ the National Archives and Records Administration‚ the agency charged with the preservation of official records‚ also dropped its inquiry into the matter. Remarkably‚ Grimm rejected Johnson’s request for a Senate staff briefing on the controversy‚ claiming that it is standard practice to “neither confirm nor deny” the existence of ongoing investigations. Johnson nonetheless renewed his request that Grimm investigate Morens’ use of Gmail to conduct agency business‚ the alleged NIH destruction of official agency records‚ and any effort by Morens or and others to evade the Freedom of Information Act. But she denied the request once again. In a Nov. 15‚ 2023‚ letter to Becerra‚ recounting the foregoing facts‚ Johnson tried again: I request you immediately provide complete responses to my June 2021 and March 2023 letters on the origins of Covid-19—including responsive records contained in Dr. Morens’ Gmail account—produce all text messages or communications contained in Dr. Morens’ HHS-issued cell phones(s) dated from June 1‚ 2019 – present‚ and provide a detailed explanation for how HHS will hold Dr. Morens accountable for his apparent mishandling of federal records and potential violations of federal record keeping laws. I also request that HHS make Dr. Morens available for an interview with my Subcommittee staff. Please provide this information and interview by no later than December 6‚ 2023. Thus far‚ no response.  Closing In. Johnson and his colleagues do not have subpoena power. As he told this writer‚ “I am attempting to convince Chairman Blumenthal to issue subpoenas to the non-responsive agencies. If that proves unsuccessful‚ you can rest assured that‚ if I become Chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations‚ subpoenas will be issued and enforced.”  House Republicans do‚ however‚ have subpoena power. When Fauci testifies early next year before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic‚ congressional investigators should probe his recollections concerning Chen’s report and Morens’ intriguing communications. During his November 2022 deposition in the federal case of Missouri vs Biden‚ Fauci said he could not recall 174 times in response to questions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. House investigators will thus have an excellent opportunity to refresh his memory on what he learned about the origins of the deadly disease‚ when he learned it‚ and how he responded. Originally published by RealClearHealth Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Uncovering COVID-19 Origins: Why Congress Must Breach Biden’s Stonewall appeared first on The Daily Signal.