Joe Biden Signs Bill to Declassify COVID-19 Origin Intelligence

President Joe Biden has signed a bill that will declassify the COVID-19 origin intelligence materials, which could show the potential relations between the outbreak of the pandemic and the Wuhan lab in China.

In a statement, Biden said they need to get to the bottom of COVID-19 origins, which includes possible connections to the Wuhan lab, according to The Guardian.

The president noted that signing the bill would allow his administration to declassify and share as much of that information as possible, adding that he shares the Congress' goal.

Biden also said the release of the intelligence materials should cause no "harm to national security" as much as possible.

The president directed the intelligence community in 2021 "to use every tool at its disposal" to probe the virus' origins, and that work is still "ongoing."

Beijing still denies the possibility that a leak during research at the Wuhan lab could have caused the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Biden administration is currently negotiating a relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Bill Declassifying COVID-19 Origins Intelligence

Fox News reported that the legislation would allow the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to release intelligence materials related to China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, citing possible links to research at the facility and the outbreak.

Experts said the true origin of the COVID-19 pandemic might not be known for many years. The pandemic has killed more than 1.1 million in the United States and millions more around the globe.

Four agencies, including the National Intelligence Council, review that there is "low confidence" that the virus came from natural transmission from an infected animal.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and another unnamed department remain undecided on their conclusions.

Chairman of the newly-created House Select Committee on China, Mike Gallagher, noted that it had been three years since the pandemic halted daily life activities, and people are still stuck with questions about the virus' origins.

Gallagher said how the COVID-19 pandemic started is the most important question in the world right now.

COVID-19 Origins and Wuhan Lab

The virus first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 and has since then spread across the globe.

Aside from a public health emergency, it caused countries to close their borders and impose lockdowns and safety guidelines.

In 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reached a conclusion that the virus had probably spread after a leak at the laboratory.

According to Al Jazeera, the FBI stated that its conclusion was made in "moderate confidence." White House National Security adviser Jake Sullivan said there was still "a variety of views" on the matter.

He also noted that the president has repeatedly highlighted the importance of the intelligence community trying to find out as much as possible about how the pandemic started.

The World Health Organization (WHO) vowed in February to do everything possible until they reach an answer on the virus' origins.

In early 2021, the WHO team visited Wuhan and went to the Huanan market, where the first cases started. China has accused the United States of politicizing the investigation.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by Mary Webber

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