House COVID committee calling for criminal probe into gain-of-function virus research in Wuhan

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EcoHealth Alliance president testifies in front of House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic

EcoHealth Alliance President Dr. Peter Daszak testifies during a hearing called by the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic on Wednesday.

The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic is calling for a criminal probe into the origins of the COVID-19 virus.

The demands for an investigation come after the release of an interim staff report accusing EcoHealth Alliance President Dr. Peter Daszak of funding "dangerous gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China, without sufficient oversight."

"Overwhelming primary source documents and credible firsthand testimony gathered throughout the Select Subcommittee’s investigation provide significant evidence that Dr. Daszak repeatedly violated the terms of the NIH grant awarded to EcoHealth," a Wednesday statement from the Committee on Oversight and Accountability reads.

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Peter Daszak (R), Thea Fischer (L) and other members of the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus, arrive at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province. (HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images)

It continues, "Given Dr. Daszak’s apparent contempt for the American people and disregard for legal reporting requirements the Select Subcommittee recommends the formal debarment of and a criminal investigation into EcoHealth and its President."

EcoHealth Alliance is a non-governmental organization based in the United States and focused on researching pandemic prevention.

According to congressional lawmakers, EcoHealth used taxpayer dollars "to fund dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV)" in China. 

The NGO disputes that claim.

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Security personnel stand guard outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan as members of the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus make a visit to the institute in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on February 3, 2021. (Hector Retamal/ AFP)

"EcoHealth Alliance did not support ‘gain-of-function’ research at WIV, nor were any policies violated. Any assertions to the contrary are based either on misinterpretation, or willful misrepresentation of the actual research conducted," EcoHealth Alliance told Fox News Digital in a statement.

The NGO added, "Despite the SSCP’s contention that EHA did gain-of-function research, the NIH itself disagrees, as confirmed by NIH on July 7, 2016, in a letter to EcoHealth Alliance made public via Freedom of Information Act requests stating "NIAID is in agreement that the work proposed … is not subject to the [gain-of-function] research funding pause."

Daszak publicly testified Wednesday before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.

"The public nature of our work and our long standing collaborations with Chinese scientists have made us a target for misinformation about the origins of COVID," Daszak told committee members at the Wednesday hearing. "Beginning in early 2020 and continuing to this day, we have repeatedly and refuted the many myths and false allegations about EcoHealth Alliance research." 

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This aerial view shows the P4 laboratory on the campus of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province. (HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images)

"However, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic seemed out of control and emotions were running high, our organization and our staff and even my own family were targeted with false allegations, death threats, break-ins, media harassment and other damaging acts," he continued. "Our organization has gone to great lengths to address any allegations head on, checking our records and stating the facts publicly."

Fox News Digital previously reported that EcoHealth Alliance received millions of dollars in grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). U.S. taxpayer funds flowed to Chinese entities conducting coronavirus research through EcoHealth Alliance.

Fox News Digital's Brooke Singman contributed to this report.