NIH: Yes, a Chinese scientist asked us to delete his data from early Wuhan COVID samples -- and we d

[PeteS in CA]

NIH: Yes, a Chinese scientist asked us to delete his data from early Wuhan COVID samples -- and we did

https://hotair.com/allahpundit/2021/06/24/nih-yes-a-chinese-scientist-asked-us-to-delete-his-data-from-early-wuhan-covid-samples-and-we-did-n398722

A follow-up to yesterday’s post about Dr. Jesse Bloom and the curious case of the disappearing genome sequences from viral samples of SARS-CoV-2 harvested from patients in Wuhan early in the pandemic. Bloom went looking for that data in NIH’s database hoping that the genomes from those samples might offer a clue about the virus’s origins. But when he tried to download it he found that it wasn’t there anymore. It was gone, without an explanation.

So he went sniffing around online to see if he could find an archived version of it somewhere — and did. From the 34 partial sequences he recovered, he discovered that the samples of the virus linked to the Huanan Seafood Market don’t resemble bat viruses quite as closely as certain samples unconnected to the market do ...

In his paper describing his findings Bloom was openly suspicious of why the data was deleted from NIH’s database after it was submitted, claiming that there was “no plausible scientific reason” to hide the ball. So he contacted NIH and asked them. Did they delete the data on their own initiative or did the Chinese researcher who submitted it request deletion after the fact? ...
...
Today the Wall Street Journal revealed the truth. No wonder Bloom was suspicious: It was indeed the researcher who supplied the data who later sought to have it removed for reasons that remain unclear.

WTH! Data like this should NEVER be deleted! That China is stonewalling and trying to obscure investigations into the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the Wuhan outbreak is grossly obvious, but why in Hades was the US NIH (Which of the Institutes? Or was it at the top level of manglement overseeing all of the Institutes?) aiding in the deletion of obviously critical data?!

[Cyber Liberty]

So, while we were pounding the table for China to come across with the data, we already had it and deleted it?  Am I understanding this correctly?

[DefiantMassRINO]

If the NIH, a publicly funded government agency, maintains that data, then that data is public information that should be maintained, preserved, and archived according to the laws, policies, and procedures of the US Records and Archive Administration.  Someone at the NIH may have broken American law.

It's looking like the NIH is trying to backaway from its funding of gain-of-function experiments at Wuhan that may have lead to the outbreak.