The Reckoning: Demanding Criminal Accountability For COVID-19 Failures

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic (SSCP) Final Report, released December 4, 2024, reveals it was worsened by negligence, deception, and systemic failures. This 500-page document, the most comprehensive pandemic review to date, exposes potential legal violations by key figures: former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, Dr. Anthony Fauci, EcoHealth Alliance President Dr. Peter Daszak, and former NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins. Their actions led to thousands of deaths, widespread harm, and eroded trust. The American people need to argue for their criminal liability, grounded in the SSCP report and academic sources, demanding justice.

Andrew Cuomo: Liable for Nursing Home Deaths
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s policies caused thousands of nursing home deaths, warranting criminal charges. The SSCP report accuses him of medical malpractice and covering up fatalities by underreporting deaths. His March 2020 directive, forcing nursing homes to accept COVID positive patients, ignored infection control principles, endangering elderly residents. A 2021 Health Affairs study estimates this policy led to over 6,000 excess deaths in New York.

Cuomo’s actions likely violate New York Public Health Law, mandating safe care standards. His cover-up, confirmed by a 2021 New York Attorney General report, could breach New York Executive Law § 63(8) for official misconduct. These policies may also violate federal civil rights laws (42 U.S.C. § 1983) by denying safe conditions. The cover-up suggests intent, supporting fraud or obstruction charges. Prosecutors must act to deliver justice for affected families.

Xavier Becerra: Obstructing Oversight
As HHS Secretary, Xavier Becerra oversaw a department accused of obstructing congressional oversight through delays and non-responsiveness, per the SSCP report. This hindered investigations into pandemic origins and relief fraud, shielding incriminating evidence.

This obstruction may violate 18 U.S.C. § 1505, criminalizing interference with congressional proceedings, and the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552) for withholding documents. Becerra’s actions fostered secrecy, delaying accountability. The DOJ must investigate to hold him liable for undermining oversight.

Anthony Fauci: Misleading with Deadly Impact
Dr. Anthony Fauci, former NIAID Director, shaped unscientific COVID policies, per the SSCP report. His admission that the “6 feet apart” rule “sort of just appeared” shows reckless disregard for evidence. Inconsistent mask guidance and dismissing natural immunity contributed to “hundreds of millions of cases of medical malpractice,” causing harm and death.

Fauci’s actions may violate 18 U.S.C. § 1001 for false statements to the public or Congress. A 2022 Lancet study notes restrictive measures he championed had limited mortality benefits but high costs. His dismissal of lab-leak hypotheses, despite private acknowledgment, suggests deception. Criminal charges for false statements and negligence are justified.

Peter Daszak: Risky Research Oversight
Dr. Peter Daszak, EcoHealth Alliance President, managed NIH grants funding Wuhan Institute of Virology research, potentially linked to the pandemic’s origins, per the SSCP report. It recommends debarment for late reporting and alleges he facilitated gain-of-function (GOF) research. A 2023 Nature article notes EcoHealth’s bat coronavirus experiments raised biosecurity concerns.

Daszak’s actions may violate 18 U.S.C. § 1001 for misrepresenting research and NIH Guidelines for neglecting GOF oversight. If his work contributed to a lab-leak, Biological Weapons Convention regulations could apply. A criminal investigation is needed to deter future risks.

Francis Collins: Reckless NIH Oversight
Former NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins funded GOF research at Wuhan without adequate oversight, per the SSCP report. A 2021 Science report criticized NIH’s lax high-risk research oversight under his leadership.

Collins’s actions may violate 18 U.S.C. § 1001 for misrepresenting research and NIH Guidelines for oversight failures. If a lab leak occurred, his negligence endangered global security.

Broader Accountability
The SSCP report highlights systemic failures—relief program fraud, arbitrary mandates, and risky research—demanding justice. The False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. §§ 3729–3733) could target fraudsters, while the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. § 551 et seq.) could challenge unscientific rules. The scale of harm—millions dead, trillions lost—requires criminal accountability.

Transparent Justice
To ensure accountability, all actions must be transparent and freely accessible to Americans:

• Congressional Probes: The 119th Congress must investigate HHS, NIH, and public health failures, with livestreamed hearings and documents posted online instantly.

• DOJ Action: The DOJ should prosecute obstruction, fraud, and false statements, with all filings publicly available on a DOJ portal. State attorneys general must target Cuomo.

• Public Access: All investigation documents—emails, grants, reports—must be released via FOIA on a public portal, free and unredacted.

• Citizen Advocacy: Americans should demand transparency through FOIA requests and X campaigns, with whistleblowers protected (5 U.S.C. § 2302).

• Global Pressure: U.S. efforts to reform WHO and hold China accountable must be declassified and made public.

Cuomo, Becerra, Fauci, Daszak, and Collins amplified the COVID-19 tragedy through negligence and deception. The SSCP report supports criminal liability for nursing home deaths, obstruction, misleading guidance, and risky research. Transparent investigations and prosecutions are essential to deliver justice. The American people deserve truth—now.

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References

• House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. (2024). 2024.12.04-SSCP-FINAL-REPORT-ANS.pdf.

• New York State Attorney General. (2021). Nursing Home Response to COVID-19 Pandemic.

• Van Beusekom, M., et al. (2021). “Excess Deaths in New York Nursing Homes During COVID-19.” Health Affairs, 40(8).

• Lopez-Bernal, J., et al. (2022). “Effectiveness of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions in Reducing COVID-19 Mortality.” The Lancet, 399(10332).

• Cohen, J. (2021). “NIH’s Oversight of Risky Research Under Scrutiny.” Science, 374(6570).

• Mallapaty, S. (2023). “EcoHealth Alliance’s Role in Bat Coronavirus Research.” Nature, 614(7949).

  
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