Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley sent a letter Tuesday to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm, calling for an answer on whether or not COVID-19 stemmed from a Chinese lab leak.
The Daily Caller first obtained the letter which mentions recent reporting that the DOE concluded the COVID-19 virus resulted from a lab leak, something many have denied or doubted throughout the years. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Sunday that the DOE concluded in a classified intelligence report that the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from a Chinese lab leak.
“If the United States government has new reason to believe that COVID-19 was the result of a lab leak, we must immediately pressure China to be transparent about its role in the origins of the pandemic—and hold China accountable. After everything Americans have gone through, they are entitled to answers about how COVID-19 emerged and what the United States government knows about it,” Hawley wrote in the letter. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: House, Senate Republicans Demand Agencies Terminate Grant Funding To EcoHealth)
Here Are The Answers Hawley Calls For In The Letter:
- A complete, unredacted version of DOE’s report concluding that COVID-19 likely originated in a laboratory. Please also note who, if anyone, within the department authorized the contents of this classified report to be shared with the media.
- All agency records and communications, including with outside parties, regarding this changed assessment.
- All records and communications raising concerns with biosecurity measures in Chinese laboratory facilities, within the past 10 years.
- Has DOE provided any funding to Chinese or American entities for research in China? If so, what steps have been taken to ensure that the research is being conducted in a safe and secure manner?
- Does DOE continue to collaborate with Chinese researchers? If so, does the DOE have any concerns about leaks assisted by American research? If not, when did the DOE terminate these collaborations?
READ THE LETTER HERE:
(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers
Hawley reintroduced his COVID Origin Act on Monday, which would require the Biden administration to declassify intelligence related to any potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and the origins of the COVID pandemic. The legislation passed the Senate unanimously in 2021. (RELATED: Energy Department Concludes That COVID-19 Pandemic Likely Originated From Chinese Lab Leak: REPORT)
“Left-wing activists, infectious disease czar Anthony Fauci, and the Chinese government were all quick to condemn anyone who raised questions about the origins of the virus. The Washington Post and other outlets labeled this a ‘fringe theory.’ Many on social media platforms were censored, demonetized, or banned. Yet apparently, now both the FBI and DOE have embraced the lab leak theory,” Hawley wrote. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Internal Videos Reveal NIH Plan To Keep Money Flowing To Risky Research In Wuhan)
Hawley demanded the information he asked for by March 10, 2023.
The Caller contacted the DOE about Hawley’s letter and the recent reporting to which they a spokesperson responded by saying: “We are in receipt of the Senator’s letter.”