Cotton Op-Ed in the WSJ: Is it possible Covid-19 came from the laboratory in Wuhan

Contact Your Elected Officials

The U.S. government is investigating whether the Covid-19 virus came from a government laboratory in Wuhan, China. The Chinese Communist Party denies the possibility. “There is no way this virus came from us,” claimed Yuan Zhiming over the weekend. Mr. Yuan is a top researcher at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which studies some of the world’s deadliest pathogens. He is also secretary of the lab’s Communist Party committee. He accuses me of “deliberately trying to mislead people” for suggesting his laboratory as a possible origin for the pandemic.

Beijing has claimed that the virus originated in a Wuhan “wet market,” where wild animals were sold. But evidence to counter this theory emerged in January. Chinese researchers reported in the Lancet Jan. 24 that the first known cases had no contact with the market, and Chinese state media acknowledged the finding. There’s no evidence the market sold bats or pangolins, the animals from which the virus is thought to have jumped to humans. And the bat species that carries it isn’t found within 100 miles of Wuhan.

Wuhan has two labs where we know bats and humans interacted. One is the Institute of Virology, eight miles from the wet market; the other is the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, barely 300 yards from the market.

Both labs collect live animals to study viruses. Their researchers travel to caves across China to capture bats for this purpose. Chinese state media released a minidocumentary in mid-December following a team of Wuhan CDC researchers collecting viruses from bats in caves. The researchers fretted openly about the risk of infection.

These risks were not limited to the field. The Washington Post reported last week that in 2018 U.S. diplomats in China warned of “a serious shortage of appropriately trained technicians and investigators needed to safely operate” the Institute of Virology. The Wuhan CDC operates at even lower biosafety standards.

While the Chinese government denies the possibility of a lab leak, its actions tell a different story. The Chinese military posted its top epidemiologist to the Institute of Virology in January. In February Chairman Xi Jinping urged swift implementation of new biosafety rules to govern pathogens in laboratory settings. Academic papers about the virus’s origins are now subject to prior restraint by the government.

In early January, enforcers threatened doctors who warned their colleagues about the virus. Among them was Li Wenliang, who died of Covid-19 in February. Laboratories working to sequence the virus’s genetic code were ordered to destroy their samples. The laboratory that first published the virus’s genome was shut down, Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post reported in February.

This evidence is circumstantial, to be sure, but it all points toward the Wuhan labs. Thanks to the Chinese coverup, we may never have direct, conclusive evidence-intelligence rarely works that way-but Americans justifiably can use common sense to follow the inherent logic of events to their likely conclusion.

By: Senator Tom Cotton

The Thinking Conservative
The Thinking Conservativehttps://www.thethinkingconservative.com/
The goal of THE THINKING CONSERVATIVE is to help us educate ourselves on conservative topics of importance to our freedom and our pursuit of happiness. We do this by sharing conservative opinions on all kinds of subjects, from all types of people, and all kinds of media, in a way that will challenge our perceptions and help us to make educated choices.

MyPillowโ€™s CEO Mike Lindell Wins 2 Court Cases

A federal court tossed the $5M ruling against Mike Lindell, saying arbitrators rewrote the rules of his 2021 Cyber Symposium challenge.

Whatโ€™s The Most Realistic Scenario In Which The West Might Replace Zelensky?

Yermak and Budanov agreed with the Anglo-American Axisโ€™ proposal to replace Zelensky with Zaluzhny and โ€œresetโ€ Ukraineโ€™s ties with the West.

Earned vs. Owed

Not since the Donner Party has a group of people so badly misinterpreted the circumstances of their situation like the players of the WNBA.

Just How American are Americaโ€™s Elite Schools?

Their exteriors may be ivy clad, but that faรงade on Americaโ€™s elite universities cloaks secrecy, power politics and globalist attitudes as well.

Multiple Democrats Playing Defense

There is a news situation going on that is...

NASA, SpaceX Launch Crew-11 to Space Station

SpaceXโ€™s Falcon 9 rocket took off on Aug. 1, as the 11th act of the NASA commercial crew program set off for the International Space Station.

US Economy Adds 73,000 New Jobs in July, Fewer Than Market Estimates

U.S. economy added smaller-than-expected number of new jobs last month as labor market cools. Fed. govt. jobs fell by 12,000 and, down by 84,000 this year.

Declassified Durham Report Annex Sheds New Light on Origins of Russia Probe: Grassley

Sen. Grassley released declassified annex to John Durhamโ€™s 2023 report into FBIโ€™s investigation into allegations of Trump campaignโ€“Russia ties.

Appeals Court Hears Arguments Over Whether to Block Trumpโ€™s Tariffs

Multiple judges on an appeals court questioned whether a decades-old law Trump invoked had provided him the authority on tariffs he said it did.

Bessent Says Trump Accounts for Kids Are Backdoor โ€˜For Privatizing Social Securityโ€™

Treasury Sec Scott Bessent said Trump Accounts are โ€œa back door for privatizing Social Security,โ€ but the admin is committed to protecting Social Security.

White House to Build Ballroom to Host Larger Events

The White House will be constructing a $200 million ballroom to accommodate people for larger events paid for by President Trump and other donors.

Trump Says Canadaโ€™s Backing of Palestinian Statehood Threatens US Trade Deal

President Trump said it would be โ€œvery hardโ€ to reach a trade agreement with Canada after PM Carney announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state.

Trump Imposes 25 Percent Tariff on India Plus Unspecified Penalty

Trump said US to impose a 25% tariff on Indian goods and unspecified penalties, citing India's high trade barriers and reliance on Russian energy and arms.
spot_img

Related Articles