Over the five years since CSET was founded, we’ve established a reputation for producing incisive, evidence-based, and impactful research. Sometimes our research has upset powerful entities. That’s why we’ve built a thorough and uncompromising review process: to ensure that when we publish a report, we can stand behind it in full confidence.
Earlier today, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party held a hearing, “How the CCP Uses the Law to Silence Critics and Enforce its Rule.” During that hearing, a former employee of CSET, Anna Puglisi, testified about how two Chinese companies — BGI and MGI — contacted her to contest the findings of a CSET report, “China, Biotechnology, and BGI”, link here: https://lnkd.in/esvBg3ES. The letters were also addressed to CSET.
We conducted a careful review and found no evidence to contradict the report’s findings or conclusions. Both CSET and Georgetown stand fully behind the report, Anna, and her co-author, and are prepared to defend the report and its authors should the letters lead to formal legal action. This was communicated to Anna and any insinuation otherwise is false.
Our review procedures are difficult by necessity — we anticipate that our work will inspire pushback, and we do everything in our power to ensure any critiques will be unfounded. I understand how that process can be taxing, but so long as CSET aims to produce this kind of work, rigorous reviews are essential. Our commitment to that process has consistently strengthened CSET’s work, allowing us to confidently stand behind our findings in the face of scrutiny, both now and in the future.
Georgetown vigorously defends its faculty and researchers against any legal proceedings that may result from their work at the University. Anna thus far has chosen to hire her own lawyer, as is her right, and has declined legal assistance offered by Georgetown. At any time, Anna may accept Georgetown's standing offer to have its legal counsel represent her in any litigation that arises from her scholarship at Georgetown — an essential protection that Georgetown offers to all of its academics and researchers.
I’m deeply grateful for Georgetown’s support of the authors and CSET on this matter and their steadfast commitment to academic freedom and free expression for our researchers. CSET and Georgetown are dedicated to free and open inquiry, deliberation and debate in all matters and protect free inquiry and expression in research, teaching, and professional service.