A report by the US Department of Energy concluded that the Covid-19 pandemic "most likely" arose from a laboratory leak. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal exclusively after viewing the research.
The department had previously said it was uncertain how the virus developed. This conclusion is contained in an update to a 2021 report from the office of National Intelligence Director Avril Haines.
According to US intelligence sources interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, the department's position changed after "new intelligence information, studies by researchers and consultations with non-governmental experts" emerged. This is a significant conclusion because this agency oversees a network of 17 national laboratories, some of which carry out advanced biological research.
Even the FBI has always maintained that Covid was the result of an accident in the laboratory in Wuhan, China. The WSJ writes that four other U.S. departments continue to argue that the coronavirus outbreak was likely the result of natural transmission of the virus, while two others are undecided.
White House: We don't have a definitive answer
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said we have "no definitive answer" on the possibility that the Covid outbreak was caused by a lab leak. "What I can tell you is that President Biden has repeatedly ordered every element of the intelligence community to devote every effort and resource to get to the bottom of the matter," Sullivan added. "If we have new information, we will share it with Congress and with the American people. But right now, there is no definitive answer," he concluded.