U.S. President Joe Biden directed intelligence agencies to re-investigate the origins of COVID-19 ahead of his departure. Amid ongoing debates between the animal transmission theory and the laboratory accident theory, the Biden administration has requested the establishment of an external expert panel to review existing investigation results.
The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 17th (local time) that Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor, directed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to conduct an additional review of COVID-19's origins on the 12th. This directive was said to stem from the Biden administration's intent to clearly understand the origins of the virus, which has caused over 1 million deaths due to COVID-19.
An ODNI spokesperson noted, "We are continuing a thorough analysis and plan to elevate the level of investigation further by collaborating with external experts."
The debate over the origins of COVID-19 in the United States has a political tint. The Democrats, including President Biden, lean toward the scientific view that the virus was transmitted from animals to humans and first emerged in Wuhan, China. In contrast, Republicans and some scientists have raised the possibility of a laboratory leak, suggesting the virus may have leaked from a Chinese lab.
President-elect Donald Trump also strongly supports the laboratory leak theory, and the claim is likely to persist in the new administration. Meanwhile, while there is no clear evidence that the COVID-19 virus was stored in a lab before its spread, the laboratory leak theory is gaining support among the American public.
President Biden also directed intelligence agencies to review data on COVID-19's origins in 2021, but there were differing opinions among the intelligence agencies. The Department of Energy and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) claimed the likelihood of an accident in a Wuhan lab, while four other intelligence agencies and the National Intelligence Panel placed greater weight on the animal transmission theory.