Lab-Leak Backlash as US Criticized for COVID Transparency

Ever since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the theory that the deadly virus was leaked from a Wuhan, China lab has been circulating around the world. In March 2023, the United States Congress passed a law making everything the intelligence community had about the origins of the virus public knowledge. Last Friday, the information was finally declassified, which many maintain was an anti-climactic moment. With their venom initially spewing at China, now COVID "lab-leakers" are lashing out at the US government, and here are the reasons why. 

Many people are angry at the Biden Administration, accusing them of failing to be transparent with the American people and members of Congress regarding the origins of COVID-19.

"As we've seen nearly every step of the way while trying to uncover the origins of the COVID-19 virus, the Biden Administration has failed to be transparent with the American people and members of Congress," Senator Dr. Roger Marshall, a Republican physician, and a former military officer from Kansas said. 

Marshall also claims that the US government hasn't provided all the information asked for. "Today's release of the declassified documents is late and does not provide the full picture of what our intelligence agencies know. As a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, I believe all of those individuals within our intelligence community should appear before the Committee and walk us through these materials so we can get to the bottom of the COVID-19 pandemic that killed over a million Americans. I will not rest until the American people know the truth, the bad actors are held accountable," he said. 

Some people who support the lab-leaking theory believe the lack of evidence in the dossier is due to an illegal conspiracy by the US government. "We waited 95 days for this?" Alina Chan, a Canadian researcher and lab leak theorist, tweeted.

"It's getting very difficult to believe that the government is not trying to hide what they know about #OriginOfCovid when you see a report like this that contains none of the requested info."

Other "lab leakers" maintain that this is an example of President Biden breaking the law and violating his oath of office, as he is not fully complying with Public Law Number 118-2, which required the declassification of information on the origins of COVID-19.

"Five days late and a dollar short. Not, even remotely, responsive to or compliant with the law," says Richard H. Ebright, Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. "It is dismaying that a sitting president of the United States breaks the law, violates the oath of office, and shows contempt for the public on a matter of national importance."

The "lab leakers" maintain that there is little explained in the report because the meat of it is likely in the "classified annexe," which remains unsealed to "protect the sources and methods," the report's authors say.

"A classified annexe to this report includes information that was necessary to exclude from the unclassified portion of this report in order to protect sources and methods," says Chan. "This annexe must have ALL the information then."