A Senate investigation is underway into allegations that a senior federal scientist may have destroyed critical COVID-19 vaccine safety records sought by Congress, raising serious concerns about transparency and accountability within public health agencies.

Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson, who serves as chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, is leading the probe into Dr. Tom Shimabukuro, director of the CDC’s Immunization Safety Office.

Shimabukuro played a pivotal role in monitoring vaccine adverse events during the pandemic and is now suspected of deleting documents that were under congressional preservation orders, The New York Post reported.

“He probably destroyed documents,” Johnson said. “If true, this directly obstructs my multi-year oversight efforts of the COVID-19 vaccines and violates the Federal Records Act.”

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) informed Johnson in March that they were having difficulty locating Shimabukuro’s records, which “remain lost and, potentially, removed” from its system altogether.

That revelation has prompted Johnson to refer the matter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel for further investigation.

The allegations against Shimabukuro come on the heels of similar misconduct by Dr. David Morens, a former senior advisor to Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Morens admitted to using personal email accounts to conduct official business and deleting federal COVID-19 records, which violated federal record-keeping laws.

These incidents have fueled criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of the pandemic, with conservatives arguing that such actions reflect a broader pattern of evasion and lack of transparency.

“The American people deserve honesty and accountability from their public health officials,” Johnson said.

As the Senate panel continues its investigation, questions remain about the extent of the misconduct and its implications for public trust in federal health agencies.

The potential destruction of critical records not only hampers congressional oversight but also raises concerns about the integrity of the nation’s pandemic response.