Sen. Tom Cotton took a dig at the liberal media for its early dismissal of he lab-leak hypothesis after the CIA's newly released assessment supporting the theory.
The CIA believes the COVID-19 virus likely originated from a laboratory — but acknowledges the spy agency has 'low confidence' in its own conclusion.
The Central Intelligence Agency previously said that two explanations were plausible, a lab leak or a natural source for the virus. Yet under new agency director John Ratcliffe, the CIA has changed its view, which is now in line with that of the Department of Energy and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The intelligence agency says it has a “low confidence” in its new finding, but this is further than it has ever gone in pinpointing the origin of a virus that killed millions worldwide.
New CIA Director John Ratcliffe ordered the covid origins analysis declassified, which a spokesperson described as a “low-confidence” assessment.
It was unclear the extent to which the agency has collected new intelligence on COVID-19's origins and whether that new evidence was used to formulate the latest assessment.
Newly confirmed CIA director John Ratcliffe previewed what the agency will look like going forward under his leadership, including preventing it from becoming partisan toward specific candidates. Ratcliffe was confirmed on Thursday as the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency,
The news comes after the CIA announced over the weekend that COVID-19 most likely originated from a leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in 2020.
The CIA has revised its stance on the origins of Covid-19, stating the virus is 'more likely' to have leaked from a Chinese lab rather than originating from animals.
The Central Intelligence Agency switched its view to conclude that COVID-19 most likely originated from a Chinese lab leak.
WASHINGTON — The CIA now believes the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic most likely originated from a laboratory, according to an assessment released Saturday that points the finger at China even while acknowledging that the spy agency has “low confidence” in its own conclusion.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) issued 14 bipartisan subpoenas for Biden-era federal departments to continue COVID-19 origins investigations.