A revised assessment from the U.S. Energy Department now affirms that the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from a laboratory leak. According to The Wall Street Journal, the news comes from classified intelligence made available to the White House and certain members of Congress.
The release of the assessment comes after the FBI concluded in 2021 that there was evidence that pointed to a lab leak as the source of the pandemic.
According to the revised report, the National Intelligence Council and four unidentified agencies hold “low confidence” that the virus originated from animal to human transmission. The CIA and another unnamed agency remain undecided.
The revised conclusion from the U.S. Energy Department was prompted by new intelligence. Like the National Intelligence Council, the Energy Department’s assessment was made with “low confidence,” say individuals privy to the document.
Theories of a potential lab leak have been raised in the past. As The Dallas Express previously covered, in December 2022, the Republicans on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) released a report concluding that the COVID-19 virus may have origins in a Chinese bioweapons program. The authors did not conclude that the release was intentional.
The Energy Department’s assessment adds to the growing skepticism around the initial narrative surrounding the origins of COVID-19.
Although U.S. officials did not provide additional details, they stated that the Energy Department and the FBI concluded the leak was likely unintentional. Both reached that conclusion independently, based on different evidence.
Officials have yet to confirm if an unclassified version of the updated report will be released. On CNN, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan declined to acknowledge the new reporting. He did claim that, on numerous occasions, President Biden urged the intelligence community to discover more about the pandemic’s origin.
“President Biden specifically requested that the national labs, which are part of the Energy Department, be brought into this assessment because he wants to put every tool at use to be able to figure out what happened here,” Sullivan said, as per The Wall Street Journal.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) told NBC that Congress needs to pursue hearings over the virus’ source, despite what he says is ongoing intimidation from China for those questioning the narrative that the virus came about naturally.
“This is a country that has no problem coming out and lying to the world,” said the senator, per The Wall Street Journal.
Washington has long alleged that Beijing withheld details related to the outbreak. These accusations have contributed to the growing tension between the two powers in recent years.
Stanford University microbiologist David Relman praised the release.
“Kudos to those who are willing to set aside their preconceptions and objectively re-examine what we know and don’t know about COVID origins,” he said, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Relman, a veteran of multiple federal scientific advisory boards, stressed that he hopes we do “not accept an incomplete answer or give up because of political expediency.”
The lack of evidence of an animal source for COVID-19 and the fact that the outbreak city of Wuhan hosts China’s coronavirus research lab has led some U.S. officials and scientists to conclude that a lab leak is the most likely cause of the pandemic.
In November 2022, the FBI responded in writing to a request from Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) for details as to why the FBI concluded a lab leak was likely. The agency declined to provide details, citing the preservation of “the integrity of ongoing investigations.”