Biden Ignores Deadline To Reveal COVID-19 Origins Intel

Despite signing a bipartisan bill requiring the declassification of information potentially linking COVID-19’s origins to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Joe Biden has missed the deadline set by the law. The failure to comply is unsettling for those who believe in government transparency and the pursuit of truth, a vital interest that transcends party lines.

As dictated by the law, the Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, had 90 days to reveal “any and all information relating to potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin” of COVID-19. The expected information includes data about the activities performed by the Wuhan Institute with or on behalf of the People’s Liberation Army and any related research carried out before the outbreak. This Sunday deadline came and went with no release of information.

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), chair of the select committee on China who sponsored the House version of the bill, underlined the bipartisan support of this legislation. “Biden cannot continue to ignore this overwhelming bipartisan consensus,” he stated. Gallagher urged Congress to “use every tool at its disposal to enforce this law and ensure the president makes this information available to the public.”

Further stoking the embers of public curiosity, The Wall Street Journal and Twitter Files journalist Michael Shellenberger have confirmed reports that U.S.-funded scientists at the Wuhan Institute, who fell ill in November 2019, were working with SARS-like coronaviruses.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) published a conflicting assessment in 2021 that four U.S. intelligence agencies and the National Intelligence Council had “low confidence” in the theory that COVID-19 originated from a lab. Yet, by October 2021, an FBI report suggested “moderate confidence” in the possibility of the virus’s lab origin.

Controversy has surrounded Peter Daszak, the President of EcoHealth Alliance, due to his close collaboration with the Wuhan Institute and an apparent attempt to divert attention from lab-origin inquiries. Emails between Daszak and University of North Carolina virologist Ralph Baric revealed their concerted efforts to dissuade the White House and the media from this investigative route.

The COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023, passed unanimously by the House and Senate, reflects the American public’s right to know the origins of a pandemic that has claimed millions of lives. The Biden administration’s disregard for the deadline, as set out by a law they endorsed, is disconcerting.

During Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to China this week, it was reported that the purpose was not to discuss the origins of COVID-19. This development is another example of the administration’s apparent need for more urgency in providing transparency.

It is in the interest of all citizens to see our elected officials uphold their commitments. The COVID-19 pandemic has touched us all, and understanding its origins is crucial in ensuring we are better prepared for future health crises.