According to mostly unredacted emails obtained to Just the News under the Freedom of Information Act, the project leader for numerous taxpayer-funded studies of Chinese bats and coronaviruses estimated the COVID-19 outbreak would top out at 20,000 cases, the majority of which would be “mild.”

They reveal that from January to May 2020, EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak interacted regularly with officials from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The frequently friendly letters give updates on his originally optimistic estimates, as well as suggestions for what Director Anthony Fauci should say to reporters.

He also asked for their assistance in having EcoHealth’s research labeled “vital” during the lockdown in New York City, as well as battling “conspiracy theories” that eventually hampered Daszak’s work, such as the lab-leak scenario, which experts thought probable from the start.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) email release comes as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) faces additional scrutiny for neglecting to investigate EcoHealth Alliance’s suspected illegal activities.

Despite requests from House and Senate Republicans, HHS confirmed to former Senate Finance Committee investigator Paul Thacker that Inspector General Christi Grimm is not investigating EcoHealth grants, despite NIH claims that EcoHealth did not comply with grant conditions in connection with unintentional gain-of-function research.

According to a May 2020 communication from an NIH investigations officer to an FBI agent, the FBI initiated an investigation into an NIH contract with EcoHealth. The Intercept received the email, which contained completely redacted replies to FBI questioning from Daszak’s NIAID program officer, Erik Stemmy.

When asked if the NIH was still collaborating with the FBI, Thacker claimed it didn’t answer.