Robert Redfield, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said during a Saturday appearance on Fox & Friends Weekend that "it's possible" the United States' intelligence apparatus was involved in creating viruses in China in reference to a recent report on the government's investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
Newsweek has reached out to the CDC's press team and the White House for comment via email on Saturday.
Why It Matters
A recent Wall Street Journal investigation reported that three scientists affiliated with the Pentagon conducted a scientific study finding that "Covid-19 was manipulated in a laboratory in a risky research effort," but that information was not incorporated in a report to President Joe Biden, as it was "at odds with the assessment of their parent agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency."
The Wednesday report also said that early on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was the "only agency that concluded a lab leak was likely," but the agency was not present at the presidential briefing.
The report has resurrected theories that the coronavirus was leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China, and that the U.S. may have been involved or had prior knowledge of it, potentially covering it up. The origins of the deadly virus are still contested and politically divisive.
What To Know
Five years ago, the first cases of the virus were identified in Wuhan. Since then, more than 1.2 million Americans died from COVID-19, according to the CDC, with millions more globally. It is estimated that thousands of people are experiencing "long-COVID," with symptoms affecting the neurological, respiratory, cardiovascular, and psychological systems, among others, persisting for months after the initial infection.
The government's handling of the virus, including vaccinations, mask mandates, and its origin, has sparked controversy among many Americans, and forged deep political divides.
On Saturday, Fox & Friends Weekend co-host Will Cain spoke with Redfield about the origins of the virus in light of the Journal's report. Redfield served as CDC director during President-elect Donald Trump's first term, from 2018 to 2021, overseeing the agency during the initial phase of the pandemic.
Referring to the Journal's report, Cain asked Redfield why he believes intelligence that the virus likely started in a lab was prevented from reaching the president.
Redfield replied, "There clearly was a proactive decision by individuals to really only present one scenario for the origin of COVID—which is the natural spillover. I will say, there really is no evidence of spillover whatsoever."
He added: "Clearly the intelligence agency has been duplicitous in this cover up of the true origins of COVID."
Later in the segment, Redfield said, "It's most likely that our intelligence agency had assets that were deployed inside that [Wuhan] laboratory and in fact as a consequence didn't want too much scrutiny into the laboratory."
Cain then asked Redfield: "Is it possible—should we consider the fact that the intelligence apparatus was also helping to create these types of viruses, where it's illegal in the United States, but actually helping to facilitate it for their own use, but using it on some foreign land in China to do it?"
Redfield replied "Yeah, I think it's possible, Will. I think it really is."
The former CDC director has previously been skeptical of the virus' origin. In November, he said on the Third Opinion podcast that there's a "real possibility" it was developed as a "biodefense program" in a lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He noted that he does not have any definitive proof to support this claim.
What People Are Saying
Representative Brad Wenstrup, an Ohio Republican who chairs the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, wrote opening page of the report: "The possibility that COVID-19 emerged because of a laboratory or research related accident is not a conspiracy theory."
Mario Nawfal, internet personality with over 1.8 million followers, wrote in an X post on Friday, "Defense and FBI scientists uncovered damning evidence pointing to a Wuhan lab leak—but spy chiefs allegedly blocked them from briefing Biden. Instead, the 2021 report claimed a natural origin. Key findings were ignored, including Chinese military ties to early vaccine patents and lab techniques that leave no trace... Who's still covering for what?"
What Happens Next
Trump will take office in less than three weeks with a new administration. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which Redfield implied on Saturday may have knowledge about viruses in the lab and sought to "protect its assets" in the field, is likely to be led by John Ratcliffe.
"I think the truth will come out, I'm very excited about John Ratcliffe being the new CIA director," Redfield said, adding that "he will get all of these agencies back in the room and to look at the data."
English (US) ·