Rand Paul Calls For Declassification Of COVID Lab-Leak Documents

Authored by Steve Watson via Summit News,

Senator Rand Paul has demanded that the Biden Administration declassify documents purporting to show that The Energy Department concluded that the likely cause of the coronavirus pandemic was a lab leak in Wuhan.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

“Classified documents leaked (they should be declassified!) showing scientists at DOE believe COVID leaked from Wuhan Lab,” Paul, who is now the ranking member of Senate Homeland Security Committee, tweeted along with a link to the Wall Street Journal story on the documents.

Classified documents leaked (they should be declassified!) showing scientists at DOE believe COVID leaked from Wuhan Lab https://t.co/glETIVPe5z

— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) February 27, 2023

The revelation came in an update to a 2021 document by Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines’s office.

The Energy Department conclusion adds to the State Department, the National Intelligence Council, and the FBI’s apparent agreement that the bio lab in Wuhan was the likeliest source of the outbreak.

Senator Josh Hawley also said Sunday that he intends to introduce legislation to declassify intelligence findings about the likely origin of the outbreak.

“The American people deserve the full truth about #COVID origins. No more whitewash. I will again introduce legislation to make the U.S. government’s intelligence reports on COVID more open to the public,” Hawley tweeted.  

The American people deserve the full truth about #covid origins. No more whitewash. I will again introduce legislation to make the US government’s intelligence reports on covid open to the people https://t.co/6rKqPzPKO2

— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) February 26, 2023

Other Republicans have also called for a renewed focus on the origins of the pandemic.

Re. China’s lab leak, being proven right doesn’t matter.

What matters is holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable so this doesn’t happen again.

— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) February 26, 2023

The Senate already passed my bill with @HawleyMO to make every bit of evidence we know about the COVID lab leak declassified for the American people to see the facts without corporate or government censors. President Biden needs to declassify everything we know today.

— Senator Mike Braun (@SenatorBraun) February 27, 2023

Big Tech censored the truth.

Legacy media denied the truth.

Government officials hid the truth.

Americans deserve accountability. pic.twitter.com/uKb4UGithk

— Rep. Andrew Clyde (@Rep_Clyde) February 26, 2023

We were right.

🦠COVID origins
🔒lockdowns
😷mask effectiveness
💉vaccine mandates.

Accountability is coming… pic.twitter.com/sUjwlmm7NM

— Congressman Nick Langworthy (@RepLangworthy) February 27, 2023

The Administration is finally admitting what Republicans said 2 years ago👇 Chinese Communist Party’s Wuhan Lab is likely COVID source. Fauci called theory a “shiny object” & the scientist who funneled our tax dollars to lab called it a “conspiracy theory”https://t.co/R1EI2pOgA6

— Office of Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (@RepMalliotakis) February 27, 2023

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday refused to say if the Biden administration will release an “unclassified version” of the Chinese lab leak assessment:

NSC spokesman John Kirby also refused to give direct answers:

JACQUI TIME: “On the Dept of Energy’s findings the lab leak mostly likely caused the pandemic, how should Americans understand China’s response…swatting down this information?”

Kirby insists COVID origins is “a priority” for Biden, but there’s “not a consensus” in the U.S. yet pic.twitter.com/dVnXBaBOvw

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 27, 2023

AP’s @ChrisMegerian: What caused the DOE assessment and was the President himself briefed on that?

John Kirby: Again, I’m not going to confirm the press reporting.” pic.twitter.com/Ve6fYYCJxw

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 27, 2023