House Republicans on the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic have subpoenaed one of the authors of a controversial paper on the origins of COVID that cast doubt on the lab leak theory.

The subcommittee, led by Ohio Republican Brad Wenstrup and tasked with investigating the origins of the COVID pandemic, has subpoenaed documents and communications from Dr. Kristian Anderson. Anderson was one of the scientists who helped to draft the “The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2” paper that cast doubt on earlier theories that COVID may have escaped from a lab. 

“We are following the breadcrumbs of a COVID-19 cover-up straight to the source. Dr. Kristian Andersen played a pivotal role in potentially suppressing the lab leak hypothesis, and Americans deserve to know why this happened, who was involved, and how we can prevent the intentional suppression of scientific discourse during a future pandemic,” Wenstrup said in a statement. 

The widely criticized article co-authored by Anderson, published in March 2020, said that it was clear that COVID was not developed in a lab. “Our analyses clearly show that SARS-CoV-2 is not a laboratory construct or a purposefully manipulated virus,” the abstract of the article says. 

Since that time, multiple reports, including reports from the Department of Energy and Senate Republicans, have suggested that the once widely mocked lab leak theory appears to be increasingly plausible. 

The subcommittee hopes to obtain Slack messages sent or received by Anderson pertaining to the drafting, publication, and critical reception of the paper. They also asked for messages and documentation on the Wuhan Coronavirus Lab, gain of function research, and other discussions of the pandemic’s origin. 

Messages from Anthony Fauci, Francis Collins, and a number of other scientists are also requested by the subcommittee. 

“It is clear that the authors of ‘Proximal Origins’ may have possessed conflicts of interest for supporting a zoonotic origin of COVID-19. Fully investigating the internal messages between the co-authors and contributors is a crucial step to inform future legislation and hold guilty parties accountable. The Select Subcommittee looks forward to Dr. Andersen’s speedy and comprehensive response to today’s subpoena,” Wenstrup said.  

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A report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released Friday evening shows that some federal agencies believe a lab leak is likely while others favor the natural emergence of COVID. 

According to the report, the FBI and the Department of Energy “assess that a laboratory-associated incident” was the most likely cause of COVID. The report says that “almost all” intelligence community agencies do not believe that the virus was genetically modified.

Russian President Vladimir Putin promised punitive actions against those who have challenged his authority by questioning the war in Ukraine and occupying a key Russian military headquarters, accusing them of “treason” and “betrayal.”

Putin’s promises come as mercenary warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner military group have occupied Rostov-on-Don, Russia, after leaving their position in Ukraine. Prigozhin has sharply criticized the war in Ukraine, and British intelligence indicates that Prigozhin’s men have taken control of Russia’s military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don. 

“All those who prepared the rebellion will suffer inevitable punishment,” Putin said, according to the Associated Press. “The armed forces and other government agencies have received the necessary orders.”

Video shows Prigozhin, accompanied by Wagner troops, in the Southern Military District headquarters in Rostov-on-Don yelling at Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Col. Gen. Yunus-bek B. Yevkurov and Deputy Military Intelligence Director Lt. Gen. Vladimir C. Alekseyev over their handling of the war in Ukraine, according to the New York Times.

A “counterterrorist regime” has been implemented in Moscow in response to the unrest, and Russian authorities have called for Prigozhin’s arrest. 

“We are fighting against anarchy and capitulation. This internal mutiny is a mortal blow to us. It is a blow to our people as a whole,” Putin said. “These people who are responsible will certainly be brought to justice on behalf of our people,”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the unrest revealed Russian weakness. 

“Russia’s weakness is obvious. Full-scale weakness. And the longer Russia keeps its troops and mercenaries on our land, the more chaos, pain, and problems it will have for itself later,” he said. The Wagner Group previously took the important city of Bakhmut from Ukraine after months of severe fighting. 

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Putin referred to the opposition as a “stab in the back,” referencing the hostile relationship between Western nations and Russia. “The entire military, economic, and information machine of the West is waged against us,” Putin said. 

Prigozhin referred to his move back into Russia as a “march of justice” and not a “military coup.” The mercenary has accused Russia’s military of killing 2,000 Wagner troops, saying his forces in Ukraine were bombed with rockets and artillery. He has since claimed to have shot down a Russian military helicopter.  

“But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way,” he said, claiming that he had 25,000 men with him. “We are moving forward and will go until the end.”

Russia’s lower house of parliament speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said in a statement that the Wagner troops needed to go back to obeying Putin’s orders. 

“Wagner fighters must make the only right choice: to be with their people, on the side of the law, to protect the security and future of the Motherland, to follow the orders of the commander-in-chief,” he said.