“The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan… I will just make the observation that the Chinese government… has been doing its best to try thwart and obfuscate the work here, the work that we’re doing, the work that our US government and close foreign partners are doing,” said FBI chief.
Congress did not seek the update, which is less than five pages long. But, lawmakers, mainly Republicans in the House and Senate, have been conducting their own investigations into the origins of the pandemic and have pressed the Biden administration and the intelligence community for more information.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Energy Department has joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation in claiming that the virus was most likely disseminated by a mishap at a Chinese laboratory.
The judgement reached by the Energy Department is the product of new intelligence, and it is noteworthy because the department has great scientific knowledge and administers a network of US national laboratories, some of which conduct advanced biological research.
The insights provided by the Energy Department come from its network of national laboratories, some of which do biological research, rather than more traditional kinds of intelligence such as spy networks or communications intercepts.
The new coronavirus initially appeared in November in Wuhan, China. According to the US 2021 intelligence report, 2019. The cause of the pandemic has been determined. Scholars and intelligence professionals have engaged in vigorous debates as well as lawmakers.