CIA Finally Confirms What We Suspected: COVID-19 Likely a Lab Leak from Wuhan, China
Political Suppression, Gain-of-Function Research, and the Role of Dr. Anthony Fauci in the Cover-Up
So, now the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has released its conclusion about how COVID-19 originated; reversing its prior public stance, they now have revealed that they have concluded what we all knew all along, that the “lab leak theory” is, in fact, the most plausible reason for the COVID-19 pandemic. The “lab leak theory” notes that the COVID-19 virus leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China, which U.S. taxpayers partially funded. In the past, the CIA held neutral on COVID-19 came about, leaving open the idea it could have been from a natural zoonotic spillover, which everyone from high-level scientists to Jon Stewart found absurd. Sadly, the Biden team officially scoffed at the lab leak theory, and the mainstream media went along with it at the time. But no longer, there’s been a shift. What else has the Biden team suppressed or outright lied about to the American people?
The New York Times has reported that the CIA had come to this decision some time ago and is just now releasing this information now that Biden is out of office, which seemed strange to me. Why wait until the Biden “team” is out of the picture? It seems they were not the administration of transparency they had originally claimed to be, but instead, an administration that keeps their narrative alive through suppression and disinformation. Why keep something of such national interest from the American people and why would the mainstream media just go along with it when they knew it was a lab leak?
The delay of this CIA report is a clear violation of the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023.
One key player in this story is the EcoHealth Alliance, the well-connected U.S. nonprofit that aimed to conduct gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China. I wrote about EcoHealth and the cover-up in June 2024. Gain-of-function research, which involves enhancing the capabilities of pathogens, has been at the center of controversy. EcoHealth Alliance has been repeatedly accused of being vague about where this risky research would occur, knowing full well that explicit mention of gain of functions research might alarm U.S. regulators since such research was banned by Obama in 2014, even though the ban was lifted by Trump in 2017.
And then we get to Dr. Anthony Fauci, whose involvement in funding the EcoHealth Alliance has been scrutinized for the last several years. Former President Joe Biden, who pardoned Fauci preemptively, has admitted that, under the guise of national security, he might have approved projects classified as gain-of-function research despite President Obama's 2014 moratorium on such funding. This shows that Fauci lied under the questioning of U.S. Senator Dr. Rand Paul asking this very question. Fauci’s delayed admission has refueled debates about accountability and transparency in scientific research funded by U.S. tax dollars.
What Drove the Change?
Review of Lab Conditions: The CIA's revised opinion stems from closer scrutiny of the conditions inside high-security biolabs in Wuhan, particularly the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Reports suggest that this analysis included looking at biosafety protocols, lab security, and the handling of potentially dangerous pathogens. The conclusion seems to be influenced by findings that the safety standards were not up to par, potentially increasing the likelihood of an accidental leak.
Intellectual and Scientific Evaluation: The reassessment involved a detailed review of intelligence, scientific literature, and possibly new insights or interpretations of existing data. This was not triggered by new evidence per se but rather by a re-evaluation of known facts in light of new perspectives or a deeper understanding of the lab environment.
Political and Scientific Context
Political Pressure: There's been speculation about political motivations behind this shift, particularly given the Trump administration's interest in the lab leak theory. However, sources like The New York Times have clarified that this analysis was already underway during the Biden administration, suggesting that the conclusion might be more data-driven than politically motivated.
Congressional Mandate: The release of this analysis also aligns with legislative demands for transparency on the origins of the virus. The U.S. Congress passed the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023, which required intelligence agencies to share their findings, thus adding legal pressure to declassify this type of information.
Implications and Reactions
International Relations: This change in view could significantly reverberate in U.S.-China relations, potentially escalating tensions by implying culpability on China's part. Beijing has consistently rejected these allegations, calling them politically motivated.
Scientific Community: The scientific debate continues, with some researchers arguing for the zoonotic origin based on genetic and epidemiological data. Others see the CIA's stance as validating their skepticism about the animal-to-human transmission hypothesis, particularly in the absence of a definitive intermediate host.
Policy and Funding: Acknowledging a lab leak possibility has renewed calls for stricter regulations on gain-of-function research, especially in foreign labs with potentially laxer safety standards. This has led to discussions about revising how and where such research is funded, particularly in light of past U.S. involvement through organizations like EcoHealth Alliance.
Public Trust and Information: For the public, this shift might either restore faith in intelligence agenc’ diligence or fuel skepticism about the timing and motives behind the release of such information.