The COVID-19 pandemic was a trivial time for everyone, and for a wide range of reasons, but now that the dust has settled, everyone wants to know – where did the COVID-19 virus come from? According to the FBI, they believe it was accidentally leaked from a lab – and that lab was being funded by Dr. Anthony Fauci!
2014: NIH Awards Grant To EcoHealth Alliance
In 2014, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded EcoHealth Alliance – a non-profit based in New York City – a grant worth $3.7 million ‘to look into possible coronaviruses from bats.’ At the time, Dr. Fauci was director of the NIAID (a part of the NIH).
Of that $3.7 million, $600,000 was handed out to the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China. For those who don’t know or don’t remember, the virus originated in the city of Wuhan – and many people believe it was leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology lab.
2020: FBI Receives Alarming Tip From Unidentified Source
In April 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) received a tip from someone accusing Fauci and the Wuhan Institute of Virology lab of conducting ‘gain-of-function’ research in relation to the bat coronavirus research they were leading.
The source provided five pages of emails that show ‘the FBI quickly understood that Fauci’s agency funded the gain-of-function research that could disguise the resulting coronavirus as ‘natural,’” according to conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch.
What Is ‘Gain-Of-Function’ Research?
Gain-of-function (GOF) research involves changing an organism’s genetic code in a way that enhances the biological functions of gene products. With a virus, gain-of-function research helps scientists gain a better understanding of current and future pandemics.
It can also help researchers and scientists get a head start on developing vaccines before a virus or pandemic wreaks havoc on society. At the same time, gain-of-function research is extremely dangerous if the virus being mutated is mishandled.
Would Leave No Sign Of Human Manipulation
In an email exchange between the whistleblower and FBI Newark Field Office, the whistleblower accused the Wuhan Institute of Virology lab of attempting to create a virus that would leave no sign of human manipulation – making it appear natural.
“The reason I am writing is that the experimental strategy proposed in Aim 3 (‘infectious clone technology’), if performed using commercial or in-house gene synthesis to prepare the infectious clones, *** would leave no signatures of purposeful human manipulation***,” the informant wrote to the FBI.
FBI Opens Inquiry Into NIH’s Grant To WIV
One FBI agent, who claimed to have interviewed the anonymous source, forwarded the informant’s email evidence to another FBI agent – describing it as ‘alarming new info.’ The other agent describes it as ‘interesting’ and something worth following up on.
In May 2020, the FBI opened an inquiry into the grant given to the Wuhan Institute of Virology by the National Institutes of Health. The agents believed it could provide valuable information about how and where the COVID-19 pandemic started.
FBI Determines COVID Most Likely A Lab Accident
At a time when most people were arguing that the COVID-19 pandemic started as a result of exposure to an infected animal – in this case, bats were believed to be the culprit – the FBI started leaning in a completely different direction.
“The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in March 2023 – citing their inquiry into the NIH grant to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Fauci Says NIH Never Funded GOF Research In Wuhan
In May 2021, Dr. Anthony Fauci claimed – in front of Congress – that the NIH ‘has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.’ He defended his claim in a viral back-and-forth with Senator Rand Paul.
“If you look at the grant and you look at the progress reports, it is not gain-of-function, despite the fact that people tweet that and write about it,” Fauci said at the time – adding that COVID-19 originated in bats in China, and the NIH funded research to investigate.
Rand Paul Cites Academic Papers That Say Otherwise
In their back-and-forth, Rand Paul cited two academic papers written by the Wuhan Institute of Virology that refer to the research as ‘gain-of-function’ research. One of the papers was written in 2015 (along with the University of North Carolina), and the other was written in 2017.
Paul insisted that the research met the official definition of ‘gain of function’ research, as outlined by the United States government. Despite warning Fauci that lying to Congress was a crime, Fauci insisted that they didn’t fund GOF research.
Dr. Ralph Baric Echoes Fauci’s Claim
Dr. Ralph Baric, a scientist with the University of North Carolina, was one of the scientists involved in the 2015 academic paper by the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Baric claimed that the NIH and UNC regularly reviewed the research.
In fact, their work was reviewed ‘for potential of gain-of-function research and were deemed not to be gain-of-function’ on numerous occasions. Not only that, but he claimed that none of the viruses in the 2015 study were related to Sars-Cov-2 – the virus that caused the pandemic.
Many Are Calling For A Full Criminal Investigation
On one hand, you have an anonymous whistleblower, the FBI, and a gang of politicians who believe Dr. Fauci and the NIH funded GOF research that resulted in a dangerous virus leaking out of a lab in China – eventually spreading and causing the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the other hand, Fauci and several other scientists claim no wrongdoing and say they never funded GOF research—even if GOF was the end result. The ongoing uncertainty has many people calling for a full criminal investigation to get to the bottom of it.
China Says The US Was Spreading Lies About Them
Ever since the early days of the pandemic, numerous high-ranking officials in China have suggested that the COVID-19 virus was brought into China by US military officers – who were intent on making the country look like the villain.
“CDC was caught on the spot. When did patient zero begin in US? How many people are infected? What are the names of the hospitals? It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe us an explanation!” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian in 2020.
What Happened To The Neutral Theory?
So, was it a lab leak that caused the COVID-19 pandemic? Some people, including the FBI, believe so. Others choose to believe in the neutral theory, which claims the pandemic started with bats, which then infected humans.
We may never truly know where the pandemic started or how it came about, but we can safely say that the worst is behind us now. And if another pandemic were to happen in the future, we’re much more prepared now than we’ve ever been before.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings