White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki wouldn’t directly answer a question about where President Joe Biden stands on the lab-leak theory of COVID-19’s origin during a press briefing Tuesday.
“The president believes there needs to be an independent investigation, one that’s run by the international community, it’s an international pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands of people around the world,” Psaki said in response to a question from Fox News’ Peter Doocy. “He believes the Chinese need to do more to put forward to put forward data, to be more transparent,” she added.
Doocy asked whether President Biden believes that the lab-leak theory is a “wacky conspiracy theory” or something that’s actually possible. “He believes that every theory should be explored … but that we shouldn’t jump to conclusions before that data and that information is made available.”
The theory that COVID-19 could have accidentally leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology after being manipulated by scientists there has gained increased legitimacy in recent weeks in corporate media circles. Once dismissed as a “conspiracy theory,” a number of experts and officials have said there is significant evidence pointing to a possible lab-leak. (RELATED: HHS Sec. Becerra Tells WHO To Bring Back Taiwan, But Won’t Call Out China For Sham COVID-19 Investigation)
The World Health Organization’s investigation into the origin of COVID-19 earlier this year was compromised by Chinese influence. White House officials, scientists and lawmakers have all called into question the accuracy of the investigation’s findings. After initially downplaying the likelihood of a lab-leak, the WHO has since backtracked, acknowledging that it is a possibility.