Senate passes Hawley bill to declassify intelligence on COVID-19 lab leak theory
The Senate Wednesday unanimously approved legislation from Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley to declassify intelligence related to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the Chinese lab at the center of theories about the origin of COVID-19.
Hawley and Indiana Republican Sen. Mike Braun introduced the measure in April, but the issue received a renewed push this week following a report from The Wall Street Journal that three researchers at the institute were hospitalized for illness, shortly before the virus began spreading in the Wuhan region of China.
The institute has vehemently and repeatedly denied claims that a leak may have led to the spread of COVID-19, but the theory has gained increased prominence in recent months.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, told a Senate committee earlier this month that the possibility of a lab leak exists and that he was in favor of a full investigation.
“I think it’s time that the American people got to decide for themselves,” Hawley said in a Wednesday floor speech. “It’s time that they actually got to see the evidence that the United States government has collected on this issue.”
The legislation will require Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to “declassify any and all information relating to potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of the Coronavirus Disease.” The legislation now heads to the U.S. House.
Senate passage occurred shortly after Biden said he was asking the U.S. intelligence community to “redouble their efforts” to determine the origin of the virus.
Hawley has been an outspoken critic of China’s handling of the virus since the beginning of the pandemic. He faced criticism last month when he was the lone senator to oppose a bill aimed at combating the increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans during the pandemic.
After passing Hawley’s bill, the Senate also passed an amendment to the Endless Frontier Act from Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall to express support for a full investigation of the origin of the virus. The overall bill focuses on technological competition with China.
This story was originally published May 26, 2021 at 8:32 PM.
