A recent report from Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee cited “significant circumstantial evidence” that COVID-19 originated in a lab in Wuhan and that Washington may have funded or collaborated in research leading up to the outbreak. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) quickly dismissed the possibility of the Wuhan lab leak, many in the news media took their word for it and tech giants like Facebook suppressed conversations and articles on the matter.
A thorough, impartial investigation into COVID’s origins is needed, which is something the CCP refuses to allow. The World Health Organization (WHO) is not equipped for this task either as they have proven unable to conduct a review with meaningful findings. Their report was undermined by the CCP as they were able to influence the investigation and Biden Administration officials have raised questions about the reliability of the WHO’s report and called for an independent investigation. After the WHO said a laboratory accident was “extremely unlikely,” Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said, “that is not [the Biden Administration’s] assessment.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated, “[w]e’ve got real concerns about the methodology and the process that went into [the WHO] report, including the fact that the government in Beijing apparently helped write it.” Even Dr. Anthony Fauci, who initially dismissed the question, has now stated he is “not convinced” that the virus developed naturally outside the Wuhan lab.
In addition to helping introduce H.R. 3191, I and many of my colleagues recently asked Speaker Pelosi to instruct the appropriate Democrat committee chairs to join a bipartisan investigation into the origins of COVID-19. I will continue to advocate for and support policies that protect Americans and hold the Chinese Government accountable.
Congressman Daniel Webster represents The Villages in the U.S. House of Representatives.
