The Central Intelligence Agency has released a report prepared during the former US president’s term in office.
Тhe conclusions of which suggest that the virus that caused the Covid-19 pandemic “is more likely to have originated in a laboratory.”
According to the Associated Press, the CIA’s assessment at the time of the pandemic’s causes “pointed the finger at China,” although it also noted that it was not entirely sure of such conclusions.
“The CIA continues to believe that possible scenarios for the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic are related to research and natural origins,” the new report said.
Newly appointed CIA chief John Ratcliffe commented that a report from the Joe Biden administration “confirms the lab leak theory.”
He said the release of the report was “a step toward transparency for the American people,” Ratcliffe said in an interview with Fox News on January 26.
Notes on the Interview with the CIA Director
In his first interview since his confirmation, Ratcliffe stressed “the importance of restoring trust in American institutions,” adding:
“I had the opportunity on my first day to release a report that was prepared during the Biden administration… and the CIA concluded that the most likely cause of this pandemic that has caused so much destruction around the world was an incident in a laboratory in Wuhan.”
He promised to continue investigating that version.
The report in question was declassified and released on January 25 by order of President Donald Trump.
Intelligence officials told AP reporters that the issue “may never be resolved because of the lack of cooperation from Chinese authorities.”
Previously, U.S. lawmakers were demanding more information from U.S. intelligence agencies about the origins of the virus, which led to quarantines, economic turmoil and millions of deaths.
Senator Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told Fox News that it was now important to “make China pay for unleashing this plague on the world.”
Chinese authorities have dismissed speculation about Covid’s lab origins as useless and politically motivated, AP recalls.
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