U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Mike Braun (R-IN) have taken the Biden administration to task for its failure to release all information related to the origins of COVID-19, and specifically the potential connection to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
In a letter addressed to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, the Senators criticized the incomplete report delivered by the administration and demanded full compliance with the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023 within a seven-day timeframe.
“On March 20, President Biden signed the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023, which we introduced in the Senate to help get to the truth about China and COVID-19,” the Senators highlighted in the letter.
The Act, they explained, required Haines to “declassify any and all information” regarding potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the inception of COVID-19, and to “submit to Congress” this information “not later than 90 days” following the law’s enactment.
Despite these requirements, Senators Hawley and Braun stated, “You failed to comply with both requirements.”
They emphasized that the administration appeared to be reluctant to provide information about China’s possible role in the COVID-19 pandemic to avoid causing diplomatic tensions.
Senators Hawley and Braun alleged, “You—and the rest of the Administration—appear to be refusing to provide information about China’s role in and responsibility for the COVID-19 pandemic in order to avoid upsetting Beijing.”
In response to this perceived lack of transparency, the Senators issued a challenge to Haines and her office: “Within 7 business days, provide to Congress documentation that fully complies with the letter of the law to disclose ‘any and all information’ related to the origins of COVID-19 and a lab leak with minimal redactions.”
The COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023, sponsored by Senator Hawley, was signed into law on March 20, 2023, after its reintroduction in February of the same year.
The legislation, initially introduced in April 2021, was unanimously passed in the Senate twice, first in May 2021 and again in February 2023.
If Haines fails to meet the Senators’ seven-day deadline for a complete report, they have invited her to testify before Congress under oath.
They ended their letter by reminding the Director of the high stakes involved: “The American people deserve to know the truth about China’s role in the origins of COVID-19.”
Read the full letter below:
