CIA favors COVID lab leak theory
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The debate over COVID's origins has included two main theories: that it came naturally from a market in Wuhan, China, or that it came from a lab leak there. In a new assessment, the CIA says it's more likely that COVID originated from a lab leak.
Why it matters: "John Ratcliffe, the new director of the CIA., ... has said it is a critical piece of intelligence that needs to be understood and that it has consequences for U.S.-Chinese relations," The New York Times' Julian E. Barnes reports.
Catch up quick: There's no new evidence. These conclusions came from a review ordered by the Biden administration and released this week by Ratcliffe.
- According to a CIA spokesperson, "CIA assesses with low confidence that a research-related origin of the COVID-19 pandemic is more likely than a natural origin based on the available body of reporting. CIA continues to assess that both research-related and natural origin scenarios of the COVID-19 pandemic remain plausible."
- "We have low confidence in this judgement and will continue to evaluate any available credible new intelligence reporting or open-source information that could change CIA's assessment."
What to watch: "Ratcliffe has promised a more aggressive CIA, and it is possible that he will order more actions to penetrate the labs in Wuhan or the Chinese government in a search for information," Barnes writes.
- "It will not be an easy secret to steal. The senior ranks of the Chinese government do not know, and do not want to know, American officials have said. So if there is intelligence, it is probably hidden in a place that is hard to get to."
