The top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee called on the Trump administration’s spy chief to provide details about the origins of the coronavirus in China, including intelligence community information related to whether COVID-19 may have escaped from a lab in Wuhan.
Rep. Devin Nunes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, sent a two-page letter to Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe on Friday, which was obtained by the Washington Examiner, saying the Republicans on his panel “have conducted a long-standing investigation into the rise of China as our foremost national security threat,” and “as part of that probe, we are investigating the outbreak of the coronavirus.”
With less than two weeks left in the Trump administration, Nunes asked Ratcliffe to provide the intelligence with a classified notification on Chinese virology research, including “an explanation of significant changes in Intelligence Community analysis, or the evolution of such analysis, related to the origin of SARS-COV-2, research activities in Wuhan labs, efforts by China to block international investigations of a possible lab leak, and actions taken by Chinese authorities that increased COVID-19 worldwide lethality and economic disruptions.” The congressman also asked Ratcliffe for an “assessment of Chinese adherence to international agreements that require disclosure and cooperation in the event of a viral outbreak such as COVID-19.”
Additionally, Nunes asked the intelligence community to provide an “exact timeline” of research specific to coronaviruses at the Wuhan lab, as well as a “counterintelligence assessment” detailing all United States engagement with the Wuhan lab on coronaviruses, including U.S.-sponsored research and funding, any technology transfers, and information on which outside groups coordinated with the lab.
Read more at Washington Examiner.
{Matzav.com}
