Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told "Axios on HBO" that there isn't yet enough information to determine whether or not the coronavirus outbreak resulted from an accident at a Chinese lab.
What he's saying: "I'm not ruling out that it could be a lab accident, and some experts have not ruled it out either," said Rubio. "Though I can't prove it and no one can because we don't have enough information to disprove it or prove it."
The backstory: Rubio expressed far less certainty than some top U.S. officials have in recent statements.
President Trump said on April 30 that he has a "high degree of confidence" that the outbreak originated in a lab accident in China.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on May 3 that there was "enormous evidence" that a lab accident was to blame for the epidemic.
Why it matters: U.S. allies with access to shared intelligence have said it is "highly unlikely" that a lab accident was the cause, fueling concern that the U.S. government might be pushing the theory for geopolitical reasons.
Based on scientific evidence, the leading theory is still that the virus originated in a bat and spread to humans via an intermediary animal.
