According to The Hill, the results of the GOP investigation into the coronavirus origin have been recently published. The report discloses possible evidence of the artificial creation of the SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19. Experts admit that the hypothesis of a virus leak from a Chinese lab in Wuhan is plausible.
The results of the Republican Party’s investigation were unveiled on August 9. Michael McCaul, the ranking member of the House of Representatives and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the third installment in his investigation into the origins of the virus as well as missteps taken by China in exposing the world to the risks of the pandemic.
Notably, the GOP investigation parallels efforts by the Biden administration to determine the origins of the pandemic outbreak. Experts believe that such an investigation is necessary to reduce the risk of a new pandemic. However, many Americans are calling for the authorities to punish China for a virus leak that has had a negative impact on the world economy and killed millions of people worldwide.
"The Biden administration has already been working through the WHO and with the G-7 and with other countries used diplomacy and tried to urge the Chinese to cooperate. They’ve given us their answer, their answer is no," Anthony Ruggiero, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said. US lawmakers are trying to figure out how and where the virus appeared. As for political relations with China, they still remain a bit strained. At the same time, the Chinese authorities are also not eager to actively cooperate with Washington.
In the report, McCaul provides evidence of the artificial origin of COVID-19. The politician suggests that the US Congress should impose sanctions on Chinese scientists and Communist Party officials, who prevent the world community from understanding the true nature of the pandemic and responding to it quickly and effectively. He also calls on the House Foreign Affairs Committee to subpoena Peter Daszak, an American scientist who has some connection with the Wuhan lab. He published an open letter in February 2020 that rejected the lab theory as a xenophobic distraction from the pandemic response. By doing so, he has misinformed the world community about the laboratory origin of the coronavirus, thereby hindering the fight against the pandemic. "This was the greatest coverup of all time and has caused the deaths of more than four million people around the world, and people must be held responsible," the Republican said.
McCole, on the contrary, emphasizes the artificial origin of COVID-19 and insists on the idea that the virus likely emerged from the Wuhan laboratory. He believes that the virus leakage occurred due to a violation of security measures and the intervention of the authorities. "As this report lays out, a preponderance of the evidence proves that all roads lead to the WIV," McCaul said in a statement.
"We know gain-of-function research was happening at the WIV and we know it was being done in unsafe conditions,” McCaul pointed out. He raised the question about genetic modifications of bacteria and viruses and experiments with them conducted at the laboratory. According to experts, the Wuhan laboratory did not have the BSL-4 status, the highest level of international bioresearch safety. The report of the Republican Party states that Chinese scientists could modify genetically modified viruses without leaving traces.
Importantly, Biden has set a September deadline for the intelligence community to report to him more definitive conclusions and evidence on the two theories. However, there are a number of difficulties that may prevent the CIA from meeting the specified deadline. "The reality is that the Chinese government has not been transparent, has not fully cooperated in the WHO's investigation initially, and it's more recently suggested it's going to refuse to cooperate in a follow-up as well. And that is deeply unfortunate," CIA Director William Burns said.
