Biden Addresses COVID Lab Leak Theory in State Department Investigation

Drew Fossen

Health

27th May 2021

Biden Addresses COVID Lab Leak Theory in State Department Investigation

He has asked the Intelligence Community to double their efforts (Getty Images).

The Claim

The Biden State Department quietly shut down the team probing COVID’s origin.

News posted on

Emerging story

On May 26th, Fox News Contributor Tammy Bruce tweeted an article with the headline “Biden State Department quietly shut down team probing COVID origin.”

A supporting image within the article body

Twitter users reacted by questioning the rationale behind the decision and accusing Biden of being loyal to China.

Former Secretary of State and former Director of the CIA, Mike Pompeo, weighed in, calling Biden, China, WHO, and the liberal media the “nothing to see here crowd.”

Misbar’s Analysis

Misbar’s investigation found this claim to be misleading.

According to Forbes, Biden shut down a project initially led by Mike Pompeo in late 2020 to investigate the possibility that a Chinese bioweapons lab played a role in the origin of COVID-19. In February and March, shortly after taking office, Biden’s team was briefed of the project’s findings and decided to shut it down, citing concerns over the quality of the work and a poor use of resources. However, Biden has not abandoned an investigation into the origins of the pandemic as people are suggesting on social media.

In a statement released by Joe Biden through the Twitter account of the National Security Council, Biden announced that he has asked intelligence officials to redouble efforts to investigate the origins of Covid-19, including the theory that it came from a laboratory in China.

According to State Department spokesman Ned Price, "there has been incorrect reporting that the Biden-Harris administration shut down an investigation by the State Department’s Bureau of Arms Control and Verification (AVC) into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic." He said the team's work ended after delivering a report in February and March, adding that "all relevant parts of the Department continue to work with the interagency on this matter."