A Republican-led Senate report explained the potential origin of the COVID-19 virus, according to Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KY), as well as the likely destruction of such evidence. The report outlined the likelihood of a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology and how animal viruses were strengthened through controversial gain-of-function research.
Marshall was one of the senators that assisted in the creation of the report. To the senator, there is now a “preponderance of evidence” that the virus emerged from the Wuhan lab.
According to Marshall, there is significant evidence of two lab leaks.
He said that if the evidence was placed on a scale, “I think that 95% of the evidence is on the lab origin.”
The Kansas Republican echoed many of the concerns over the origins of the virus.
In particular, many Republicans desire a deeper investigation into the role of Dr. Anthony Fauci in shaping the public narrative regarding the disease’s origins. Fauci claimed publicly that the virus was of natural origin from China.
However, increasing evidence not only shows that the virus may have a likely human-made origin, but that Fauci squashed evidence of it.
Marshall also said that the evidence of such research, one of the “smoking guns” was destroyed by the Chinese government.
Chinese Lab Developed COVID-19 Virus, Senate Report Claimshttps://t.co/Pkq23ayTsG
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) April 18, 2023
In particular, Marshall outlined that Chinese researchers were likely working on gain-of-function research, intending to use natural viruses and artificially make them more transmissible.
“The virus was just too perfect,” he told Fox News.
In particular, the senator pointed to evidence that the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) helped fund such gain-of-function research on bats in Wuhan. Fauci repeatedly denied that such funding had existed.
The news also comes amid revelations that China began research on COVID vaccines before the official announcement of the virus’ origin.
The Senate report revealed that the Wuhan lab began research on at least two vaccines in November 2019, before the announcement of SARS-CoV2. Furthermore, the report states that the types of bats that carry COVID-19’s closest natural relative live more than 1,000 miles away from the Chinese lab.
China has denied any role in the start of the virus, with Beijing stating that the United States had a history of “making up stories.”
This week, China called the investigation “political manipulation.”
