The CIA has changed its assessment of the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, now endorsing the lab leak theory. The agency, under new director-general John Ratcliffe, has published an assessment of the origins of coronavirus disease.
The review was ordered by former President Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, toward the end of Biden's term.
Even though former CIA Director Bill Burns remains agnostic about the origins and told the CIA it needed to revisit existing evidence to take sides, analysts say it's not “credible.” It was evaluated as “poor”.
Wuhan, February 3, 2021, as members of a World Health Organization team investigating the origins of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) coronavirus visit the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province. Security guards stand outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)
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The agency has long argued that there is not enough information to conclude whether the novel coronavirus originated in a laboratory or in a wet market in Wuhan, China. Despite the new assessment supporting a lab leak, there was no sign of new evidence.
“The CIA assesses with low confidence that a research-related origin of the COVID-19 pandemic is more likely than a natural origin, based on the available set of reports. We are evaluating both research-related and natural-origin scenarios for infectious diseases, and a “19 pandemic remains plausible,'' a CIA spokesperson told Fox News.
“We have low confidence in this ruling and will continue to evaluate any available reliable new intelligence reports or open source information that may change our assessment of the CIA.”
Ratcliffe, who was confirmed Thursday, has long been a supporter of the lab leak theory. In an interview with Breitbart, Ratcliffe said he framed the assessment of the origins of the coronavirus as part of a broader strategy to “address the threat from China.”
He also said he wants the CIA to “step back from the sidelines.”
John Ratcliffe attends his confirmation hearing for the Senate Intelligence Service at the Capitol on January 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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In a March 2023 Fox News article co-authored with Cliff Sims, Ratcliffe said the Biden administration was undermining the agreement surrounding the lab leak theory by suppressing “what we can clearly assess from the information they have.” He accused them of trying to silence the growing tide.
He also questioned the idea that the CIA did not have enough evidence to draw conclusions about the origins of the virus.
“The CIA is the world's premier spy agency. Its reach is unparalleled and its ability to obtain information is unparalleled. But now, three and a half years later, we know that the CIA has no “There is enough public reporting that there is no evidence. Enough information to make an assessment. This is complete nonsense,” the March 2023 article reads.
A sign about coronavirus testing is posted outside a coronavirus testing site as a health walker collects test tubes on Dec. 3, 2021, in Wheeling, Illinois. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Ho)
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In the same article, Mr. Ratcliffe and Mr. Sims rejected the idea that the virus arose naturally, claiming there was a “total lack of intelligence or scientific evidence” to support that conclusion.
Testifying before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in April 2023, Ratcliffe said the lab leak theory is “the only explanation that is credibly supported by our intelligence, our science, and our common sense. ” he said.
