Bowling Green Today

U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and 18 other senators have taken action by sending a follow-up letter to the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William J. Burns, to request information concerning whistleblower allegations regarding the origins of COVID-19. The allegations were disclosed by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

The whistleblower, described as a senior-level current Agency officer, provided information indicating that the CIA's COVID Discovery Team, comprising seven officers with scientific expertise, concluded with low confidence that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. However, the most senior member of the team believed in an alternative theory of zoonosis.

In the letter, the senators expressed concerns about the CIA's handling of the investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in light of the Agency's inability, as stated in an unclassified report from June 2023, to determine the precise origin of COVID-19. The senators emphasized the importance of congressional oversight and demanded the CIA's cooperation in providing requested information.

Dr. Paul and his fellow senators reiterated their requests for various documents and communications related to the establishment of the COVID Discovery Team, their discussions on the origins of COVID-19, interactions with other agencies, and any conclusions reached by the team.

The senators involved in sending the letter alongside Dr. Paul include Roger Wicker, Ted Budd, Cynthia Lummis, Markwayne Mullin, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Bill Cassidy, Rick Scott, Mike Lee, Bill Hagerty, Mike Braun, Ted Cruz, Tommy Tuberville, Josh Hawley, Roger Marshall, Eric Schmitt, Ron Johnson, Susan Collins, and Lindsey Graham.

This action follows a previous request made on September 12, 2023, where senators asked CIA Director Burns for additional documents and information related to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite receiving a response from the Office of Congressional Affairs on September 27, 2023, indicating direct engagement with congressional intelligence committees, the CIA did not provide the requested information or documentation.

The full text of the letter sent by Dr. Paul and the senators can be accessed on Senator Rand Paul's website.