CIA Assesses Chinese Lab Leak Responsible For Coronavirus Pandemic
Daily WireFEB 3
CIA Now Favors Lab Leak Theory for COVID Origin
Above: An aerial view of the P4 laboratory on the campus of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan in China. Image copyright: Hector Retamal/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Spin
Right narrative
The lab leak theory is supported by intelligence, science, and common sense. The preponderance of circumstantial evidence points to coronavirus research in Wuhan labs as responsible for spawning the global pandemic. Previous resistance to this conclusion was driven by liberal, woke political considerations rather than facts.
Left narrative
The source of the virus is a complex scientific issue that should be determined through rigorous scientific research rather than reassessments of old evidence by the new, hawkish Trump administration. China has consistently maintained transparency while cooperating with international investigations, including the WHO study that downplayed the odds of a lab leak being the cause.