GOP senators want all information on COVID-19 origins released.
Sens. Hawley and Braun Demand Declassification of COVID-19 Origins Information
Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Mike Braun (R-IN) have taken a stand, demanding that Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines declassify and provide Congress with all information related to the origins of COVID-19. In a letter sent on Tuesday, the lawmakers emphasized the importance of complying with federal law and dismissed the insufficient nine-page redacted report released by Haines’s office on Friday. This law, enacted by President Joe Biden, aims to uncover the truth about the pandemic’s origins.
Urgent Call for Transparency
“That law required the Director of National Intelligence to ‘declassify any and all information’ relating to links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of COVID-19,” the senators wrote in their letter. “The report itself was a paltry five pages of information, plus a cover page and appendix. Obviously, the U.S. government is in possession of more information than that. This half-baked effort falls woefully short of the statutory requirements and undermines congressional intent.”
The senators’ demand comes at a time when the Biden administration is facing increased scrutiny regarding its relationship with China. They accuse Haines and the administration of downplaying China’s role in the pandemic and its origins to avoid upsetting the Chinese government.
Concerns and Deadlines
“Your failure to comply with the law is especially worrisome in light of recent events,” the senators expressed. “The Biden administration, including the [Office of the Director of National Intelligence], has exhibited a concerning level of deference towards China, including obfuscating the extent of China’s intelligence cooperation with Cuba and downplaying the seriousness of China’s intelligence collection over U.S. airspace.”
The senators reminded Haines that the original deadline for compliance was June 18, but her office did not produce the report until June 23. They granted her an extension of seven business days to provide the remaining information on the origins of COVID-19.
Seeking the Truth
“If you fail to do so, we would welcome your testimony before Congress on this matter so you may answer questions under oath,” the Republican lawmakers warned. “The American people deserve to know the truth about China’s role in the origins of COVID-19.”
The nine-page report released by Haines’s office focused on the intelligence community’s understanding of the potential link between the virus and a lab leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. However, it did not definitively conclude that the virus originated in the lab. Instead, the report stated that both the lab leak theory and the theory of transmission from an infected animal were still plausible according to intelligence agencies.
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