CIA now leans toward lab leak theory for Covid-19 origins

The agency now assesses, with low confidence, that a lab leak is the more probable origin of Covid-19.

The CIA now considers a lab leak the more likely source of the Covid-19 pandemic than a natural origin, though this assessment remains tentative.

In a statement released Saturday, a CIA spokesperson indicated that the agency’s conclusion, based on available intelligence, favors a research-related origin with low confidence. However, the agency acknowledged the possibility of both scenarios and the potential for the assessment to change with new information.

This revised assessment follows the recent confirmation of John Ratcliffe as CIA director. A proponent of the lab leak theory, Ratcliffe had previously described it as the only theory supported by evidence and had prioritized reviewing the CIA’s assessment of Covid-19’s origins upon taking office. While the assessment was reportedly completed before Ratcliffe’s appointment, it was declassified and released under his direction.

The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, reported that the CIA’s assessment predated Ratcliffe’s confirmation but was publicly released upon his instruction.

The debate surrounding Covid-19’s origins, a pandemic that claimed over 7 million lives, has been a significant point of contention in US politics. Competing theories include a natural zoonotic origin and an accidental leak from a Wuhan laboratory. The Chinese government denies the lab leak theory.

US government agencies remain divided. The FBI and Department of Energy favor the lab leak theory, while other agencies, including some within the intelligence community, support the natural origin theory.

Former CDC director Robert Redfield previously asserted that Covid-19 was intentionally engineered as part of a biodefense program, suggesting substantial US involvement due to its funding of related research.