Senator Rand Paul Shows Government Concealed Wuhan Lab's COVID-19 Research

U.S. Senator Rand Paul has brought forth allegations suggesting that officials from 15 U.S. government agencies were cognizant of the Chinese-run Wuhan Institute of Virology's endeavors to develop a coronavirus akin to COVID-19 but opted to remain silent on the matter.

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Senator Rand Paul

Highlights

By Catholic Online (California Network)
4/11/2024 (2 weeks ago)

Published in Politics & Policy

Keywords: Rand Paul, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Anthony Fauci, COVID-19, gain-of-function research, government oversight

Paul, a prominent Republican representing Kentucky in the Senate since 2011, has emerged as a vocal critic of Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institutes of Health. Over the past five years, their confrontational exchanges during Senate hearings have garnered significant attention on social media platforms.

In a recent op-ed penned for Fox News, Paul asserted that he has unearthed what some consider to be "smoking gun" evidence demonstrating that Fauci and numerous government agencies withheld information regarding their collaboration with China.

According to Paul, these officials were apprised of a proposal by British scientist Dr. Peter Daszak's EcoHealth Alliance, a non-profit organization allegedly funded with millions in taxpayer dollars, in conjunction with the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The initiative, known as the "DEFUSE" project, purportedly aimed to engineer a coronavirus closely resembling the COVID-19 virus.

"For years, I have been advocating for the disclosure of records from numerous federal agencies pertaining to the origins of COVID-19 and the DEFUSE project," Paul wrote. "Under pressure, the administration eventually released documents indicating that the DEFUSE project was presented to at least 15 agencies in January 2018."

"Alarmingly, none of these 15 agencies raised concerns or alerted the public about the Wuhan Institute of Virology's pursuit of this research. None of these agencies informed anyone that this Chinese laboratory had outlined plans to create such a virus."

In response to Paul's claims, EcoHealth released a press statement on August 9 refuting his assertions. The organization clarified that while they did submit a proposal for the DEFUSE project, it was rejected and not forwarded to other federal agencies for consideration. Additionally, EcoHealth emphasized that they did not support "gain-of-function" research at the Wuhan Institute.

Investigative journalist John Stossel shed light on the ties between EcoHealth, Dr. Fauci, and the Wuhan lab in a report covering Paul's allegations.

Paul contends that Daszak withheld information regarding the proposal during previous Congressional testimony. He further alleges that Fauci's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases not only received briefings on Wuhan's intentions but was also listed as a participant in the initial DEFUSE presentation. Fauci's Rocky Mountain Lab was reportedly named as a partner alongside the Wuhan Institute of Virology in the proposal.

"Likely, hundreds of individuals within the government were aware of this proposal to create a COVID-19-like virus, yet nearly all of them chose to remain silent, obscure, and ultimately conceal information that could have potentially saved lives by alerting the world that this was not merely a natural virus with limited transmissibility," Paul asserted. "All indications point to COVID-19 being a virus engineered in a laboratory, deliberately adapted for human transmission."

Paul believes that those implicated in concealing the DEFUSE project should face consequences, although he doubts that they will be held accountable.

"At the very least, the individuals involved should acknowledge the truth, and Congress should implement robust oversight measures to ensure that potentially hazardous gain-of-function experiments undergo thorough scrutiny and, if necessary, are halted."