Bowling Green Today

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

September 13, 2023

Contact:Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343

Dr. Rand Paul Leads Letter Requesting Information on CIA Whistleblower Allegations Concerning COVID-19 Origins Investigation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ron Johnson (R-WI), and Rick Scott (R-FL) have sent a letter to the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William J. Burns, requesting information on recent whistleblower allegations regarding the CIA's investigation into the origins of COVID-19.

The allegations, made by a senior-level CIA Officer, claim that the Agency paid off six analysts who initially concluded that COVID-19 likely originated from a lab leak. According to a letter from the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the CIA assigned seven officers with significant scientific expertise to a COVID Discovery Team. After assessing the available intelligence and science, six of the seven members believed that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. However, the letter alleges that these six members were offered a substantial monetary incentive to change their position, leading to the CIA's public statement of uncertainty on the origins of COVID-19.

"These allegations are deeply concerning and raise serious questions about the Agency’s investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic," the Senators wrote. "For this reason, we request you provide our offices with the following information no later than September 25, 2023."

The Senators have requested the CIA to provide the following information in response to their letter:

1. All documents and communications regarding the establishment of all iterations of the COVID Discovery Team(s)
2. All documents and communications among the members of all iterations of the COVID Discovery Team(s) regarding the origins of COVID-19
3. All documents and communications between the members of all iterations of the COVID Discovery Team(s) and other employees or contractors of the Agency regarding the origins of COVID-19
4. All documents and communications between the members of all iterations of the COVID Discovery Team(s) and employees or contractors of other federal government agencies, including but not limited to the U.S. Department of State, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (including the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases), and the U.S. Department of Energy regarding the origins of COVID-19
5. All documents and communications regarding the pay history, including the awarding of any type of financial or performance-based incentive/financial bonus to members of all iterations of the COVID Discovery Team(s)

The full text of the letter can be found HERE.

For more information, please visit Senator Rand Paul's official website.