The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has reevaluated the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, concluding that it is “more likely” to have emerged from a lab rather than from nature, according to an agency spokesperson.
This assessment is a change from the agency’s previous stance, which was unable to determine whether the pandemic resulted from a lab incident or natural causes. The CIA had previously remained undecided on the issue, citing a lack of concrete evidence to support either scenario.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated in an interview with Breitbart that one of his top priorities was to have the agency make a public assessment on the pandemic’s origins, and he believes that the intelligence, science, and common sense all point to a leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China as the likely source of the pandemic.
The Chinese government has rejected claims that a laboratory leak caused the pandemic, instead suggesting that the origin should be left to scientific investigation and research. Beijing has also accused the US of politicizing the issue and trying to shift the focus from the pandemic’s natural origin.
The CIA’s assessment was made following a review of new evidence and was backed by former CIA Director William Burns, who reportedly asked agency analysts and scientists to make a clear determination on the issue. The agency, however, notes that both lab and natural origins of the pandemic remain plausible and that it has “low confidence” in its assessment.
