Bowling Green Today

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a new op-ed for Fox News, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has made startling revelations regarding the alleged cover-up of critical information related to the origins of COVID-19 by multiple federal agencies.

Senator Paul's investigation uncovered that "government officials from 15 federal agencies knew in 2018 that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was trying to create a coronavirus like COVID-19." He expressed frustration over the lack of transparency, stating, "For years, I have been fighting to obtain records from dozens of federal agencies relating to the origins of COVID-19 and the DEFUSE project."

The DEFUSE project, which proposed the creation of a novel chimeric virus similar to COVID-19, involved collaborations between EcoHealth Alliance, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and several federal agencies. Despite being aware of this project, no agency disclosed this information to the public, as revealed by Senator Paul: "What does this mean? It means that at least 15 federal agencies knew from the beginning of the pandemic that EcoHealth Alliance and the Wuhan Institute of Virology were seeking federal funding in 2018 to create a virus genetically very similar if not identical to COVID-19."

Senator Paul also called out specific individuals and institutions for their alleged involvement in the cover-up, including Dr. Anthony Fauci's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which was listed as a participant in the DEFUSE project. He criticized the lack of disclosure, stating, "Did NIAID warn us? Did Anthony Fauci warn us? No! All lips remained sealed."

Highlighting the widespread nature of the alleged cover-up, Senator Paul lamented, "Likely, hundreds of people in the government knew of this proposal to create a COVID-19-like virus and virtually every one of these people chose to keep quiet, to obscure, and ultimately to conceal information that might have saved lives."

In conclusion, Senator Paul condemned those involved in the alleged cover-up, stating, "Shame on all those who covered up the DEFUSE project! Of course, they all should be punished but likely won’t." He called for increased oversight to prevent similar incidents in the future and urged for accountability among those responsible for withholding critical information that could have potentially mitigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.