“In implementing this legislation, my administration will declassify and share as much of this information as possible, consistent with my constitutional authority to protect against the disclosure of information that would harm national security,” Biden said.
Author: Biden
Washington has led a highly politicized debate about the origins of the coronavirus pandemic since the first human cases were reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan. It happened in late 2019 amid calls from both Biden’s fellow Democrats and Republicans. The debate was raised last month when the Wall Street Journal reported that the US Department of Energy assessed that the pandemic was likely caused by a leak from a laboratory in China, an assessment that Beijing denies.
The department made its judgment with “low confidence” in a classified intelligence report. The FBI also assessed that the pandemic likely originated from a laboratory leak. Four other US agencies still believe that COVID-19 was likely the result of natural transmission, while two are undecided.
Many US officials have said the origins of the pandemic will never be known. China has said claims that a lab leak likely caused the pandemic lack credibility. Biden said he ordered intelligence agencies to investigate the origins of COVID-19 in 2021, the investigation is ongoing and his administration will continue to review all classified information, including potential links to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
