US lawmakers say they have seen new ‘credible’ information that Covid leaked from a Chinese lab and Beijing covered it up.
They claim to have also seen strong evidence that China’s military was involved in experiments at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).
Members of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic saw the details in classified documents from the US State Department, which advises the president on foreign policy.
The committee’s chair Rep Brad Wenstrup, a Republican from Ohio, has called for the information to be ‘immediately’ declassified and unredacted to give the public ‘a more complete picture of the government’s evidence regarding the origin of the Covid pandemic.’
The above is the letter Rep Brad Wenstrup, a Republican from Ohio, wrote to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken requesting he declassify redacted documents related to the Covid origin investigation
The organization U.S. Right to Know wrote the documents contained evidence of connections between the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and WIV – the lab where Covid is believed to have originated.
In 2018, scientists sought to create a novel virus with features that closely match those of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid, which some say serves as a blueprint for Covid – and the resulting pandemic
He said the documents, first released in redacted versions in June 2023, contain information that ‘credibly suggests’ Covid was borne from a lab-related accident in Wuhan, the Chinese government obstructed investigations into the matter and the Chinese military was involved in experiments taking place at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Rep Wenstrup’s letter stated: ‘As mounting evidence continues to point to a lab related accident in Wuhan, China as the likely origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, safely removing these superfluous redactions is a step towards transparency and accountability.
‘We write to you today to request that you immediately take steps to declassify this information such that the American people have a more complete picture of the government’s evidence regarding the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.’
In February 2023, the subcommittee requested information from the State Department related to the Covid origin investigation, but the lawmakers only recently reviewed classified versions.
The documents are State Department cables and include emails and internal discussions about classified research at the WIV.
Nearly all of the information in the cables, including email contents and contacts of senders and recipients have been redacted.
Because the public version are so heavily redacted, it is difficult to determine what exactly is in them.
However, the limited information appears to suggest the US had evidence the WIV was conducting risky experiments with the military and Chinese officials had more information about the virus than they admitted to.
The above shows redacted emails released from the State Department pertaining to the investigation into the origins of Covid-19
The above shows redacted emails released from the State Department pertaining to the investigation into the origins of Covid-19
The above shows redacted emails released from the State Department pertaining to the investigation into the origins of Covid-19
The above shows redacted emails released from the State Department pertaining to the investigation into the origins of Covid-19
In Rep Wenstrup’s letter, he wrote the documents showed ‘numerous, highly suggestive subject lines,’ including: ‘Initial Outbreak Could Have Been Contained in China if Beijing Had Not Covered It Up.’
Others said: ‘[Redacted] Says PRC Central Government — Not Local Officials — Responsible for the Coronavirus Cover-Up’ and ‘Beijing Knew Earlier than They Admit.’
Several mention the Chinese government’s cover-up, propaganda and disinformation campaigns.
And others show a possible connection between the WIV and PLA, including: ‘Official Chinese Websites Show Robust Cooperation between WIV and PLA [Academy of Military Medical Sciences].’
Recently, it was revealed US officials may have sent taxpayer money to fund such risky research at the Chinese lab despite knowing the military was involved.
Disgraced researcher Dr Peter Daszak suggested to the subcommittee the US intelligence community was aware of coronavirus experiments carried out at the WIV years before the pandemic.
And the government sent money to the Chinese facility despite concerns it was being used by the Chinese government to manufacture potential bioweapons, according to the testimony of Dr Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance, a New York-based research group which funneled US taxpayer money to the WIV.
When asked if he knew whether the US intelligence services knew the lab was being used to conduct such work, Dr Daszak responded: ‘Two agencies I think have low-to-moderate confidence that there was some activity.’
He added: ‘The other agencies were unable to comment.’
While there have been multiple revelations related to the origins of Covid that point to a lab leak, a theory the FBI subscribes to, there has yet to be a smoking gun of definitive proof that shows the pandemic was sparked by a virus that was manufactured in a Chinese lab.
