The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic held a hearing on Tuesday, during which members of Congress attempted to further uncover where the virus came from.
Tuesday’s hearing was titled “Investigating the Origins of COVID-19, Part 2: China and the Available Intelligence.”
During the hearing, representatives discussed how politicized the pandemic and COVID-19 have become. However, both Republicans and Democrats on the committee seemed to be aligned on one point: The role China played in hiding information about the origins of the virus.
Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) said that the origin of the virus isn’t 100% clear, mainly because “China does not want the globe to know the origins.”
“They dodge and duck every legitimate attempt to investigate this question,” Wenstrup said.
Among those to testify before the committee on Tuesday was the former Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe.
Ratcliffe discussed where he believes the virus came from, as many have debated whether or not it came from a lab or nature.
“My informed assessment as a person with as much access as anyone to our government’s intelligence during the initial year of the pandemic has been, and continues to be, a lab leak is the only explanation credibly supported by our intelligence, our science, and our common sense,” Ratcliffe said.
While he testified that he believes the virus came from a lab, Ratcliffe also claimed that the Chinese Communist Party is attempting to cover it up by destroying evidence.
He says they have destroyed data, medical tests, and several other samples to try and cover up what really happened. Ratcliffe also says the CPC has intimidated witnesses and journalists to keep quiet about the virus’s origins.
Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA) spoke during the hearing, saying that more evidence and research are needed to determine where the virus originated. Ruiz says it “is crucial we empower them to do so without extreme partisan rhetoric or political biases that cherry-pick evidence to push a partisan political narrative that vilifies public health leaders.”
“We must let our expert communities do their job, and in turn, we must develop policies based on evidence, as inconclusive as it may be at the moment, to help us prevent the next pandemic no matter which COVID origin theory you believe in,” Ruiz said.
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