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The new energetic theory that the coronavirus could have escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology was inspired by Biden himself, who last week ordered US intelligence to step up efforts to trace the origins of COVID-19.
Biden said the explorers had settled on two scenarios: The virus had occurred naturally or had spread after the incident in the lab.
The possibility of the coronavirus escaping from a Chinese laboratory was mentioned by the president of the United States for the first time, and with the greatest possible seriousness, although many commentators called Trump’s statements a conspiracy theory.
Reuters / Photo by Scanpix / Donald Trump
“Information makes you go”
Current and former White House officials told the Financial Times that there are several reasons why the Biden administration has now decided to speak publicly about a theory that Democrats had previously suggested not be taken seriously.
Crucially, Trump, who was seen by the opposition at the time as president, ignorantly trying to control the coronavirus pandemic and blaming China, is no longer the host of the White House.
But of course, Biden is also reacting to the intelligence that is being given to him. Because the information is not only available to him, the president feels political pressure to seek answers.
AFP / “Scanpix” nuotr./Joe Bidenas
“The Biden administration has already studied the whole mountain of alarming data it has received in recent months from the Trump team.
Information makes you go. And much remains to be done, “said David Asher, who led the US State Department investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
Employees – in hospitals
A few days before Biden’s swearing-in ceremony, the State Department released a concise list of facts about the Wuhan Institute. He mentions that several researchers from the institute had typical symptoms of COVID-19, although the first infection had not yet been officially reported.
The report also said that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was secretly cooperating with Chinese military forces.
AFP / Scanpix Photo / Wuhan Institute of Virology
Trike’s Mike Pompeo, known for his propensity to politicize intelligence, was still the US secretary of state at the time, so critics did not take the department’s content seriously. In addition, the United States kept talking about the January 6 assault and the inauguration of the Capitol.
Some of the staff at the Wuhan Institute were so ill that they were hospitalized. The Wall Street Journal also recently reported that three members of the institute’s staff had been hospitalized.
“We just realized that the list of facts that we had gathered would not immediately make the headlines. But we wanted to make the information public so that people could be properly aware of these facts when the tension eases, “said David Feith, a former US State Department official.
Asher said publicly in March that some of the staff at the Wuhan Institute were so ill that they were hospitalized. The Wall Street Journal also recently reported that three members of the institute’s staff had been hospitalized.
Scientists are no longer silent
It is true that an official who was familiar with the internal discussions of the J. Biden administration told the Financial Times that activating scientists should be seen as a fundamental change.
“Scanpix” / AP nuotr./Joe Bidenas
They said they didn’t want to help Trump before the election and resented influential colleagues who scorned the lab theory. According to the official, as more virologists spoke about the possibility that the coronavirus had “escaped” from the laboratory in Wuhan, Democrats began to favor such a theory.
In a letter to Science magazine in mid-May, 18 prominent scientists said they believed that both theories, the laboratory incident and the natural appearance of the virus, were possible and should be taken seriously.
As more virologists spoke about the possibility that the coronavirus had “escaped” from the laboratory in Wuhan, Democrats began to favor such a theory.
The researchers also said that the WHO expert search on the origins of the coronavirus in China did not take due account of both possible scenarios.
“Even those of us who deal with this issue within the administration did not fully understand that the opinion of the scientists was and is on our side – the scientists basically did not speak out loud. But in recent months, those speeches have increased, “Feith said.
“Scanpix” swimr./Anthony Fauci
The position also appears to have been changed by Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Last year, he said science suggested the virus formed naturally, but recently he said research was needed because it didn’t. it was “convincing”.
Important conclusions are still a long way off
Former high-ranking American scout Mathew Burrows admitted that he has never before heard such an outspoken presidential statement on a sensitive topic: The country’s leaders generally try not to appear to be reaching a conclusion.
“Clearly, there are Republicans who are trying to criticize everything that appears to be a weakness against China. So I think Biden wants to show that he will not avoid pointing the finger at China if the intelligence community finally finds unanimously that the virus comes from the Wuhan lab, “Burrows said.
Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher, who is seeking to release all intelligence, also believes that Biden is responding to political pressure, although it is understood in Washington that Beijing will not allow a transparent investigation.
“Scanpix” / “SIPA” nuotr./Xi Jinpingas
“Biden certainly felt the pressure. The administration realized the need for a response. Either way, this move is correct, “Gallagher said.
It is true that it is far from being a clear conclusion. Biden himself said that only three of the 18 US intelligence agencies have a clearer vision of the origin of the coronavirus: two of them tend to the theory of natural origin and the third to the origin of the laboratory.
“This community is far from reaching even partial conclusions. The fact that many services have not formed a clear position shows that there is still a lack of data, “said Paul Pillar, a former senior official at the Central Intelligence Agency.
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