The Biden administration insisted Monday there remains no “consensus” about whether COVID-19 leaked from a Chinese lab, despite a new Energy Department assessment that it likely did — while defending gain-of-function research, which critics say may have caused the pandemic.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Council spokesman John Kirby pointedly refused to confirm reports that the Energy Department had updated its stance to say COVID-19 likely came from a lab leak.
“I’m not at liberty to confirm the reporting,” Jean-Pierre told NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell, who asked if there had been new evidence found by the Energy Department’s National Laboratories.
“What I can tell you is, again, there’s been no consensus on this — where COVID originated — so I’ll just leave it there and not try to get ahead of the current process,” Jean-Pierre said.
Read more at https://nypost.com/2023/02/27/white-house-endorses-gain-of-function-research-still-doubts-covid-lab-leak/
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