WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden signed a bill today that requires the declassification of information related to the origins of Covid-19 after it was unanimously approved by Congress, reported Anadolu Agency.
“My administration will continue to review all classified information relating to Covid-19’s origins, including potential links to the Wuhan Institute of Virology,” Biden wrote in a statement.
“In implementing this legislation, my administration will declassify and share as much of that information as possible, consistent with my constitutional authority to protect against the disclosure of information that would harm national security,” he added.
The bill requires the Director of National Intelligence’s Office to declassify all intelligence related to the pandemic’s origins. It comes after several current and former officials and US agencies have come out in favour of the theory that the virus originated in a Chinese research lab in the city of Wuhan rather than as a result of natural phenomena.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said on February 28 that the bureau “assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan,” accusing Beijing of “working to undermine the investigation from the US and other members of the international community.”
Just days prior to Wray’s announcement, the US Energy Department released a report that determined with “low confidence” that a lab leak was responsible for Covid-19.
The underpinning intelligence, meanwhile, has remained classified, meaning Americans and interested parties worldwide have not been able to access it. – Bernama, March 21, 2023
