A comprehensive congressional report has concluded that the COVID pandemic most likely originated from a laboratory leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). Released after a two-year investigation by the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, the 520-page document also disclosed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) secretly investigated a New York-based nonprofit organization in connection with the pandemic’s origins and potential criminal conduct.
Lab Leak Hypothesis Gains Credibility
The report, published on Monday, asserts that substantial evidence supports the lab leak theory, stating, “Four years after the onset of the worst pandemic in 100 years, the weight of the evidence increasingly supports the lab leak hypothesis. By nearly all measures of science, if there was evidence of a natural origin, it would have already surfaced.”
WIV, described as China’s leading coronavirus research lab, was highlighted for its history of conducting experiments under inadequate biosafety conditions. The report claims that WIV researchers fell ill with COVID-like symptoms in late 2019, months before the virus was officially detected at a wet market in Wuhan.
Accusations of Cover-Up After COVID Leak
The report accuses the Chinese government, certain U.S. agencies, and members of the scientific community of attempting to cover up the pandemic’s origins. It also implicates EcoHealth Alliance, a U.S.-based nonprofit that collaborated with the Wuhan lab using taxpayer funding.
The DOJ’s investigation into EcoHealth Alliance, which has been scrutinized since the pandemic began, focused on its bat coronavirus research at WIV. Critics allege that gain-of-function experiments conducted at the lab—intended to enhance the transmissibility and lethality of viruses—may have inadvertently contributed to the pandemic.
Funding and Oversight Issues After COVID pandemic
The report revealed that U.S. taxpayer dollars were used to fund gain-of-function research at WIV. While the details of the DOJ’s investigation remain classified, the report raises the possibility of criminal charges against certain scientific figures. Subpoenas issued to EcoHealth Alliance sought genetic sequences from its virus research and correspondence between its president, Dr. Peter Daszak, and WIV’s Dr. Shi Zhengli, known as “batwoman.”
In May 2024, the U.S. government suspended funding to EcoHealth Alliance, citing mismanagement of grants. Since the pandemic began, the organization has received approximately $60 million in public funding. While EcoHealth Alliance has denied being a target of the DOJ investigation, the report accuses Dr. Daszak of misleading Congress and failing to provide critical data related to the lab’s experiments.
Report Criticizes the U.S. Government
The report criticizes the U.S. government for prematurely dismissing the lab leak theory as a conspiracy, which investigators argue undermined public trust and violated constitutional rights. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was singled out for his role in promoting a report that discredited the lab leak theory. Although Dr. Fauci now maintains an open mind on the virus’s origins, the report suggests he may have downplayed theories implicating EcoHealth Alliance.
Jamie Metzl, a former advisor to President Joe Biden during his tenure as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, condemned the Chinese government for what he called a “systematic cover-up.” He pointed to destroyed samples, suppressed records, and silenced journalists as evidence of an intentional effort to obstruct investigations.
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