Dr. David Morens, the adviser, sent at least four messages to Peter Daszak, the zoologist, the emails show. Images of the email headers were obtained and released by the U.S. House of Representatives Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Dr. Morens, who was messaging from his personal email, wrote to Mr. Daszak, the president of EcoHealth Alliance, and others on April 26, 2020; July 13, 2020; and Feb. 20, 2022. At least three of the messages were about a grant from the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to EcoHealth to study bat coronaviruses. Money from that grant was funneled by EcoHealth to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

"Please read and acknowledge receipt -- Actions needed regarding 2R01AI110964-06," the subject line of one message stated.

In another, Dr. Morens was responding after Mr. Daszak told him an NIAID grant officer said "he's unable to talk with me anymore about our suspended [grant]."

The grant was suspended on April 24, 2020, by former President Donald Trump's administration after the COVID-19 pandemic started. President Joe Biden's administration restored funding in 2023, although it suspended and later banned the Wuhan lab from receiving money.

An inspector general determined in a 2023 report that EcoHealth and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) failed to properly monitor research being done in Wuhan. EcoHealth also failed to obtain documents the NIH requested following the emergence of COVID-19, which EcoHealth blamed on a lack of cooperation from Chinese officials. The NIH is the NIAID's parent agency.

Dr. Morens in a previously released email said that he "retained very few emails or documents" on the origins of COVID-19 "and continue to request that correspondence on sensitive issues be sent to me at my gmail address."

He said in another email that "I try to always communicate on gmail because my NIH email is FOIA'd constantly" and that "I will delete anything I don't want to see in the New York Times."