COVID-19 May Have Been Connected to China’s Bioweapons Program: GOP Report

Peter Daszak (R), Thea Fischer (L), and other members of the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus arrive at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China's central Hubei Province on Feb. 3, 2021. Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images

A new unclassified report (pdf) released by Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee alleges that COVID-19 “may have been tied” to China’s biological weapons research program.

Released on Dec. 14 by Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) and other Republicans on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), the minority report states that “there are indications that SARS-CoV-2 may have been tied to China’s biological weapons research program and spilled over to the human population during a lab-related incident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).”

“The Committee has not seen any indications that the Chinese military intentionally released SARS-CoV-2,” the report reads.

At a press conference on Dec. 15, Wenstrup discussed the report’s findings, noting that many questions remain unanswered.

“This is about just trying to find truth and get to the facts,” he said. “And, you know, we’re not putting blame game out there. There may come a point where we have to, but right now, we don’t have evidence in that direction. But we have a lot of evidence that raises eyebrows and encourages us to drive on further.”

A worker inside the P4 laboratory in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, on Feb. 23, 2017. Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

Challenging the Intelligence Community

In October 2021, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released an update to its declassified assessment (pdf) of the origins of COVID-19, which asserted that SARS-CoV-2 was “probably not a biological weapon.”

“We remain skeptical of allegations that SARS-CoV-2 was a biological weapon because they are supported by scientifically invalid claims, their proponents do not have direct access to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), or their proponents are suspected of spreading disinformation,” the assessment states.

However, the Dec. 14 report characterizes that assessment as “misleading,” stating that the declassified assessment withheld important information from the public that was available in the classified version—a move that Republicans on the HPSCI believe “likely skewed the public’s understanding of key issues.”

“The declassified report claimed the IC [intelligence community] was able to reach ‘broad agreement’ that the virus was not developed as a biological weapon,” the report reads. “Despite the fact the IC relayed its confidence levels for nearly every other assessment in the declassified report—low confidence, moderate confidence, etc.—the IC failed to disclose to the public its confidence level regarding this bioweapons assessment.”

The report also states that, in its classified assessment, the IC claimed to lack key information regarding whether SARS-CoV-2 may have been linked to China’s bioweapons program. However, according to the Republican HPSCI report, that same information was found in other intelligence reporting.

“Given what was found in other intelligence reporting, the Committee pressed the IC to clarify the discrepancy in the Updated Assessment - i.e., why did you claim you did not know the answer to this key issue when there is evidence to the contrary? - the IC failed to respond,” the report reads.

The committee further stated in its report that it has “reason to believe that the IC downplayed the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 was connected to China’s bioweapons program based in part on input from outside experts.”

The report also notes that the intelligence committee has “failed to comply” with numerous requests for information—including bipartisan committee questions about the experts relied upon for its assessment.

Touching on that noncompliance, on Dec. 15, Wenstrup said, “We should know who is making these decisions and how are they coming to their conclusions. I think that’s our responsibility as oversight, and to date, we have not received that information.”

While acknowledging that certain information should be kept classified in the interest of national security, the congressman said: “We’re a select committee for a reason. There’s nothing they should be keeping from us.”

The committee, Wenstrup noted, will seek to declassify its full investigative report.

Bipartisan Concerns

A separate majority report (pdf) released on Dec. 14 by Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee expressed additional concerns regarding the intelligence community.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), chairman of the committee, noted in the report that a 2020 review of the IC’s pandemic preparedness found that “the intelligence community was not well positioned or prepared to provide early warning and unique insights on the pandemic.”

While the Democrats’ report also places the blame for the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic at the feet of former President Donald Trump, it also holds that the intelligence community failed to properly address the level of threat to national security that the pandemic posed.

“Already, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines has made several important changes advocated by the Committee, including prioritization of global health security threats,” Schiff said. “Additionally, the IC has made numerous correlating organizational changes, but much more is necessary. It is my hope the IC will commit to making the other recommended changes and to working with Congress on those that require legislative action.”

A spokesperson for the ODNI declined to comment on either report.