Now why would they do a thing like that
byu/w1ndyshr1mp inconspiracy
The DOJ Press Release contains carefully crafted verbiage that is a wonder to behold:
United States Attorney’s Office – District of Maryland – August 18, 2026
Excerpt (Bold and brackets added):
Additionally, as admitted to in his guilty plea, Morens and Co-Conspirator 1 conspired to pay illegal gratuities [AKA bribes] . Co-Conspirator 1 gifted Morens wine for his “behind-the-scenes shenanigans,” and arranged for its delivery to Morens’s Maryland residence. Morens then allegedly identified an official act that he could perform to “deserve” the gift [bribe], which was to author a scientific commentary in a prominent medical journal advocating that COVID-19 had natural origins. Co-Conspirator 1 suggested he would provide Morens with additional things of value [bribes], including meals at Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris, New York, and Washington, D.C.
END QUOTE – much more at the link
This may be the only time that the US DOJ has used the word “shenanigans” to describe conspiratorial attempts to defraud the US government and to deceive the US public (Re: the true origins of a pandemic causing pathogen)
When is a bribe not a bribe? When it’s inconvenient to call it a “bribe”.
WHY DIDN’T BIDEN THINK TO PARDON THIS MAN? TRUMP, YOUR MOVE!
h/t AspiringOligarch