Over the weekend news broke that the Department of Energy concluded, like the FBI, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former CDC Director Robert Redfield, former President Donald Trump, Republican Senator Tom Cotton and many others, that COVID-19 came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Chinese scientists in the lab were (and still are) conducting dangerous gain-of-function research and frankensteining viruses to harm humans.
“The Energy Department now joins the Federal Bureau of Investigation in saying the virus likely spread via a mishap at a Chinese laboratory," an updated document from the National Security Council states. "Four other agencies, along with a national intelligence panel, still judge that it was likely the result of a natural transmission, and two are undecided. The Energy Department’s conclusion is the result of new intelligence and is significant because the agency has considerable scientific expertise and oversees a network of U.S. national laboratories, some of which conduct advanced biological research."
Despite this finding, and an enormous amount of evidence bolstering the Energy Department conclusion, the White House is still in denial about where the disease came from.
KIRBY: "There is not a consensus on what caused COVID to start. The president wants to understand that so we can prevent better, future pandemics...it would be foolish for me to get out ahead of speculation on hypothetical situations..." pic.twitter.com/ZyNbWfnWte
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 27, 2023
KIRBY ON LAB-LEAK: "What the president wants is facts. He wants the whole government designed to go get those facts, and that's what we're doing. We're just not there yet!" pic.twitter.com/hZjegf67A7
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 27, 2023
KIRBY: "There is not a consensus right now in the U.S. government about exactly how COVID started..." pic.twitter.com/uuTzLBOqH0
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 27, 2023
Kirby also feigned ignorance on the dangers of gain-of-function research while claiming President Biden is very serious about getting to the bottom of where COVID-19 came from.
REPORTER: "Does the president believe that the reward outweighs the risk when it comes to gain-of-function research?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 27, 2023
KIRBY: "He believes that it's important to help prevent future pandemics." pic.twitter.com/OgEdHHB7Pj
During a number of interviews on Sunday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan refused to accept the Energy Department's findings.
Q: Did COVID leak from a Chinese lab?
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 27, 2023
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan: “I can't confirm or deny” pic.twitter.com/HunpkrSqPd