WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined Sen. Rand Paul M.D. (R-Ky.) and his GOP colleagues in sending a letter to the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William J. Burns, requesting information on the recent whistleblower allegations related to the CIA’s investigation into the origins of COVID-19.

According to a letter from the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic (Select Subcommittee) and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), a recent whistleblower testimony made by a senior-level CIA Officer contends that the Agency paid off six analysts that determined COVID-19 likely originated from a lab leak. The letter states that the CIA assigned seven officers with significant scientific expertise to a COVID Discovery Team. After their review, six of the seven members believed the intelligence and science available were sufficient to make a low confidence assessment that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. The letter asserts that the six members were given a significant monetary incentive to change their position, leading to the CIA’s public determination of uncertainty on COVID-19 origins.

“These allegations are deeply concerning and raise serious questions about the Agency’s investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the senators wrote. “For this reason, we request you provide our offices with the following information no later than September 25, 2023.” 

The Senators requested the following information in response to their letter:

1. All documents and communications regarding the establishment of all iterations of the COVID Discovery Team(s);

2. All documents and communications between or among the members of all iterations of the COVID Discovery Team(s) regarding the origins of COVID-19;

3. All documents and communications between or among members of all iterations of the COVID Discovery Team(s) and other employees or contractors of the Agency regarding the origins of COVID-19;

4. All documents and communications between or among members of all iterations of the COVID Discovery Team(s) and employees or contractors of other federal government agencies, including but not limited to the U.S. Department of State, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (to include the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases), and the U.S. Department of Energy regarding the origins of COVID-19; and

5. All documents and communications regarding the pay history, to include the awarding of any type of financial or performance-based incentive/financial bonus to members of all iterations of the COVID Discovery Team(s).

Sen. Johnson and Sen. Paul are joined on this letter by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.).

The full letter can be found here.

Read more about the senators’ Sept. 12 letter to CIA Director Burns in the Daily Caller.

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