NIH Virologist Vincent Munster Caught Smuggling Deadly Viruses Into U.S., FBI Investigating

The article discusses a controversial situation involving NIH virologist Vincent Munster and his alleged mishandling of pathogen samples. Munster was criticized in a Nature article for minimizing concerns about the Wuhan lab. Munster and a lab scientist were stopped at an airport and found carrying pathogen samples, including monkeypox, without proper documentation. Federal authorities are investigating Munster, and both he and his colleague have been placed on leave. The article highlights that Munster co-authored a study warning about monkeypox, which is a “select agent” regulated by HHS. Munster was previously involved in a DARPA project proposal to engineer novel viruses, which was denied funding. A fellow virologist expressed concern about a furin cleavage site found in the COVID virus, which is the same as the one used in the DEFUSE project. The article also mentions related incidents, including the removal of Ralph Baric from NIH grants and the indictment of Tony Fauci's advisor, David Morens. The author, a journalist, has been targeted by virologists for his reporting on a potential Wuhan lab accident.