Republican Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) has confronted scientists who tried to shut down reports that COVID-19 originated from a lab leak in China.
Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, blasted the scientists as they testified during a Tuesday hearing of the House Oversight subcommittee addressing the origins of the pandemic.
The congressman asserted that the scientists were all aware that the virus was likely to have emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
“The fundamental question is ‘why?’,” Jordan said
“Why did they lie to us, and why is it taking so long for every government agency to admit what we all know?
“Because belief in a lab leak as the start of this is not a conspiracy theory.”
“Why has it taken so long? You knew that early on,” Jordan said to former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe.
“You confirmed that in May of 2020, and you knew that within weeks that this thing came from a lab.
“In fact, I think you say that in your testimony.
“You say, ‘Lab leak is the only credible explanation. If this were a trial, the preponderance of the evidence is all on the side of the lab leak.’
“You knew all that within weeks.”
A report released Monday by Republicans on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee asserts that a “preponderance of circumstantial evidence” shows that COVID-19 emerged as a result of a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The FBI views a lab leak as the virus’ most likely origin with “moderate confidence.”
The Energy Department also maintains that a lab leak is the “most likely” origin.
Jordan noted that many scientists who later downplayed the lab leak theory as a “conspiracy theory” initially argued that the virus did not appear to be naturally occurring.
He name-checked Dr. Robert Garry of Tulane University and Dr. Kristian Andersen of Scripps Research Institute, both of whom wrote to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) head Dr. Anthony Fauci in January 2020 that the virus appeared to be developed in a lab.
Both men later walked the claim back, with Andersen calling it “crackpot.”
As Slay News reported, the scientists changed their tunes after speaking with Fauci and being awarded millions of dollars in federal funding by NIAID.
“The Director of National Intelligence knew this thing came from a lab,” Jordan said.
“The Secretary of State knew this thing came from a lab. Common sense tells you this thing came from a lab.
“And frankly, even the guys who called us names knew it came from the lab because we have their emails.
“Emails from the start. Mr. Garry says, ‘I don’t know how this thing happens in nature. It would be easy to do in a lab.’
“Mr. Anderson says, ‘This is not consistent with evolution.’
“Everyone knew from the get-go.”
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