Following the release of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's (DNI) findings on the origins of COVID-19, Representative Mike Turner (R-OH) has called for the release of the actual intelligence data, rather than what he terms the DNI's "opinion" on the matter. Turner expressed his concerns during an interview on CBS, stating that the DNI's report contained conclusions that contradicted information presented in a previous report given to President Biden. He emphasized his desire for the raw intelligence to be made public, allowing both the American people and outside experts to draw their own conclusions.
Turner's comments come after the DNI released a nine-page report summarizing the intelligence community's understanding of the Wuhan Institute of Virology and its potential connection to the pandemic's start. The report acknowledged that both natural exposure and a laboratory-associated origin remain plausible hypotheses. Turner criticized the DNI's approach, suggesting that the office had simply interpreted existing intelligence rather than declassifying the information as mandated by the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023. He argued that this act, passed unanimously by both the Senate and House and signed by the President, requires the declassification of information, not the provision of more classified interpretations.
Turner also addressed the existence of a classified annex to the report, stating he hadn't been granted access to it in a classified setting and emphasizing that releasing a classified annex would contradict the intent of the declassification law, which mandates public access to information. He maintained that providing more classified information to his committee does not fulfill the requirement to make it available to the public.
The Department of Energy and the FBI have both concluded that a lab leak is the likely origin of the COVID-19 pandemic. This conclusion adds weight to the calls for greater transparency and the release of all relevant information surrounding the origins of the virus.
