Surprise, Surprise, CIA: COVID Likely from Chinese Lab

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The CIA says it now believes that COVID-19 likely originated from a laboratory leak in China, shifting from previous neutral statements about the virus’ origins.

The shift comes just a few days after John Ratcliffe was sworn in as the agency’s new director and as the CIA released a Biden-initiated report on Saturday.

The agency acknowledged that it had “low confidence” in the assessment but stated the “research-related origin” is “more likely than a natural origin.”

Ratcliffe said in an interview Friday that the CIA needed to “get off the sidelines” in relation to COVID-19’s origins and that President Donald Trump should be armed with the best intelligence in his dealings with China.