Documents released by Sen. Rand Paul show FBI halted CBP inspection of EcoHealth Alliance's Peter Daszak upon his 2021 return from WHO COVID origins inquiry

Peter Daszak, a British zoologist and disease ecology expert, was returning from his role as a member of the World Health Organization's 10-person team investigating the origins of SARS-CoV-2 when federal agents at JFK Airport were prepared to intercept him in early February 2021. CBP's National Targeting Center had designated him a "high person of interest" based on more than 15 years of collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, his longstanding relationship with WIV lead researcher Zhengli Shi, and his role as principal investigator on National Institutes of Health grants funding bat coronavirus research in China.

The released records, described by Paul as the first installment of a new public archive he is calling "The Reading Room," include detailed flight itineraries, proposed interrogation questions, and internal emails documenting an interagency disagreement. According to the documents, CBP officials intended to ask Daszak about his contacts at WIV, whether he illegally collected or carried biological samples, and specifics of his collaboration with the lab, including cell phone data. Internal communications also highlighted concerns about Daszak's involvement in gain-of-function research and potential conflicts of interest involving federal grants.

The documents further state that the NIH had separately asked Daszak to retrieve an original type-specimen used by WIV for genetic analysis and return it to the United States, and to explain aspects of his collaboration with the lab. The records indicate that much of the NIH funding Daszak received was directed toward gain-of-function research, according to the documents' characterization.