Letter to Francis Collins, Director of National Institute of Health - Did NIH Improperly Delete COVID-19 Data At Request Of Chinese Researchers? Senators Want Answers
Letter
Dear Dr. Collins:
On June 28, 2021, we wrote to you requesting answers to seven questions pertaining to
the NIH's role and responsibility with respect to the Sequence Read Archive (SRA) relating to
COVID-19 data. On September 8, 2021, your office provided a response that failed to fully and
completely answer all seven questions and failed to provide the requested records.
As we have made clear to you, Congress has a constitutional responsibility to engage in
oversight of the executive branch and the executive branch has an obligation to Congress and the
American people to substantively respond. In light of our responsibility and your obligation in
that regard, we are reposing the unanswered questions from our June 28, 2021, letter. If you are
unable to respond to each question and provide the requested records, please explain why that is
the case.
In addition, we'd like to note that in your most recent letter, you stated that the National
Center for Biotechnology Information has initiated "an independent review of the [Sequence
Read Archive] processes and standard operating procedures" with respect to the withdrawal
request relating to the COVID-19 data.
1
You also noted that NIH "conducted an analysis of
withdrawal requests from January 2020 through June 2021."2
With that in mind, we request the
final report of investigation, or an equivalent document, for the latter review and an explanation
for why that review was done. Further, we request that you answer several additional questions,
provide the requested records and schedule a briefing to address your answers no later than
September 30, 2021:
1. With respect to deleting data from the NIH Sequence Archive, please name all personnel
that have the authority to do so. In your answer, please provide the names and titles of
the personnel that were involved in the deletion of SARS-CoV-2 data.
2. With respect to the Wall Street Journal report, which Chinese researcher(s) requested that
the data be deleted from the NIH Sequence Read Archive?3
When did the deletion
occur?
3. After deletion, does the NIH Sequence Read Archive maintain any accessible back-up of
the deleted data? If so, please provide all records to us.
4. Please list all collaborating partners to the NIH Sequence Read Archive.
5. In the past five years, how many researchers and other personnel associated with the
communist Chinese government, as well as those not associated with the Chinese regime,
have requested that data be deleted from the NIH Sequence Read Archive? Please list by
requestor, date, reason, and the information to be deleted. Please also note whether and
when that material was in fact deleted.
6. More specifically, in the past five years, how many researchers and other personnel
associated with the communist Chinese government, as well as those not associated with
the Chinese regime, have requested that data be deleted from the NIH Sequence Read
Archive relating to coronaviruses? Please list by requestor, date, reason, and the
information to be deleted. Please also note whether and when that material was in fact
deleted.
7. In your letter, you stated NCBI has initiated "an independent review of the SRA
processes and standard operating procedures" with respect to the withdrawal request
relating to the COVID-19 data.
a. When was that review initiated?
b. Which unit and personnel will be involved in the review?
c. What are the other countries that have requested withdrawal of data from the
database?
d. Do you plan to analyze withdrawal requests that occurred prior to the COVID19 outbreak? If not, why not?
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
Source