WASHINGTON — The CIA has determined that the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic likely emerged from a laboratory, according to a recent assessment that places significant emphasis on China, despite the agency expressing “low confidence” in its conclusion.
This evaluation is not based on any new intelligence. Instead, it was completed at the request of the Biden administration and former CIA Director William Burns. The report was declassified and made public following the directive of John Ratcliffe, who was officially inaugurated as the CIA director just two days prior.
The report’s nuanced findings suggest a belief within the agency that the available evidence leans more toward a laboratory origin than a natural one. However, the low confidence rating indicates that the evidence at hand is lacking, inconclusive, or even contradictory.
“I took the opportunity on my first day to release an assessment that was originally carried out during the Biden administration, to avoid any accusations of political motivation,” Ratcliffe stated during an interview with Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” He insisted that the CIA “has assessed that the most probable cause of this devastating pandemic was related to an incident at a lab in Wuhan, and we will keep investigating this matter in the future.”
Previous reports regarding COVID-19’s origins have presented divided opinions on whether the virus escaped from a Chinese lab, possibly by accident, or whether it developed naturally. This latest assessment will unlikely resolve the ongoing debate, and intelligence officials caution that a definitive answer might be unattainable due to insufficient cooperation from Chinese authorities.
The CIA emphasized that “both research-related and natural origin scenarios of the COVID-19 pandemic remain plausible,” in a statement regarding its new evaluation. The conclusion did not stem from fresh evidence but rather from a reevaluation of existing intelligence concerning the virus’s spread, its scientific characteristics, and the working conditions in Chinese virology labs.
Lawmakers have been pressing intelligence agencies for more extensive information about the virus’s origins, which has caused global lockdowns, economic disruption, and millions of fatalities. The implications of these inquiries are significant on both domestic and international fronts as the world reckons with the pandemic’s aftereffects.
Senator Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, emphasized on “Fox News Sunday” the necessity for America to hold China accountable for the pandemic. He suggested imposing tariffs or introducing legislation to revoke China’s permanent most favored nation status.
Chinese officials have rejected the speculation surrounding the origins of COVID as politically driven and unproductive. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the U.S. stated that the CIA report lacks credibility.
“We firmly oppose the politicization and stigmatization of the virus’s source, and we reiterate our call for everyone to respect scientific facts and avoid conspiracy theories,” said Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the embassy, in a statement sent via email.
Although the virus’s origin remains a mystery, scientists propose that it most likely circulated in bats before infecting another species, potentially racoon dogs, civet cats, or bamboo rats. This likely infection then spread to humans involved in handling or butchering these animals at a seafood market in Wuhan, where the first human cases were recorded in late November 2019.
Nevertheless, official investigations have questioned whether the virus could have escaped from a Wuhan laboratory. Two years ago, a report from the Energy Department concluded that a lab leak was the most probable origin, also indicating low confidence in this assertion.
Additionally, in the same year, former FBI Director Christopher Wray stated that his agency believed the virus “most likely” disseminated after escaping from a lab. Ratcliffe, who was the director of national intelligence during Trump’s administration, has also expressed support for the lab leak theory.
“The lab leak is the only theory supported by science, intelligence, and common sense,” Ratcliffe stated in 2023. The CIA has asserted its commitment to continue evaluating new information that could potentially alter its assessment.
