Another US agency assesses COVID-19 origin likely a Chinese 'lab leak': report

The U.S. Energy Department reportedly recently assessed that nan COVID-19 pandemic apt originated from an accidental laboratory leak successful China. 

The Energy Department, which was antecedently undecided connected nan root of nan pandemic, now joins nan FBI’s stance that nan coronavirus apt dispersed owed to a mishap astatine a Chinese laboratory, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a classified intelligence study precocious provided to nan White House and cardinal members of Congress. 

The improvement was noted successful an update to a 2021 archive by Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines’s office, according to nan newspaper. 

The National Intelligence Council and 4 different agencies measure astatine "low confidence" that nan COVID-19 pandemic originated owed to earthy transmission from an infected animal, while nan CIA and different unnamed agency are undecided. The updated study maintains a statement betwixt each nan intelligence agencies that nan pandemic was not nan consequence of a Chinese bioweapons program.   

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U.S. intelligence agencies judge nan COVID-19 pandemic apt resulted from an accidental laboratory leak successful Wuhan, cardinal China.  (Feature China/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

The Energy Department’s position is significant, according to nan Journal, because it has sizeable technological expertise and oversees a web of U.S. nationalist laboratories, immoderate of which behaviour precocious biologic research. People who publication nan classified study told nan Journal the Energy Department ranks its caller judgement astatine "low confidence," while nan FBI classed its aforesaid conclusion successful 2021 that nan COVID-19 pandemic was nan consequence of an accidental laboratory leak astatine "moderate confidence" and maintains that view. 

The Energy Department and nan FBI arrived astatine those conclusions separately for different reasons. 

Wuhan, China, is nan halfway of extended coronavirus research.  (Feature China/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

In a connection to nan Fox News Digital Sunday, a spokesperson for nan Energy Department said: "The Department of Energy continues to support nan thorough, careful, and nonsubjective activity of our intelligence professionals successful investigating the origins of COVID-19, arsenic nan President directed.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan was asked astir nan Journal’s study during an quality connected CNN Sunday. "There is simply a assortment of views successful nan intelligence community. Some elements successful nan intelligence organization person reached conclusions connected 1 side. Some connected nan other. A number of them person said they conscionable don’t person capable accusation to beryllium sure," Sullivan said.

"Here’s what I tin show you: President Biden has directed many times each constituent of our intelligence organization to put effort and resources down getting to nan bottommost of this question," he continued. "And 1 of nan things successful that Wall Street Journal report, which I can’t corroborate aliases deny, but I will opportunity nan reference to nan Department of Energy, President Biden specifically requested that nan nationalist labs, which are a portion of nan Department of Energy, beryllium brought into this appraisal because he wants to put each instrumentality astatine usage to beryllium capable to fig retired what happened here. And if we summation immoderate further insider information, we will stock it pinch Congress, and we will stock it pinch nan American people. But correct now, location is not a definitive reply that has emerged from nan intelligence organization connected this question." 

Congress has pointed to a laboratory successful Wuhan, China, arsenic nan imaginable root of nan pandemic.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The 2021 U.S. intelligence study says nan microorganism first circulated Wuhan, China, nary later than November 2019, nan Journal reported. China has rejected claims nan microorganism could person originated from 1 of its labs and has curtailed nan World Health Organization’s investigations into nan commencement of nan world pandemic. 

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According to nan Journal, nary confirmed animal root of nan pandemic has been identified, and Wuhan is nan halfway of China’s extended coronavirus research. The 2021 study hypothesizes that nan outbreak astatine nan Wuhan seafood marketplace was much apt owed to organization spread, alternatively than nan root of nan pandemic.