Something to hide, Joe? Biden says he has yet to decide whether to sign legislation releasing all information about the origin of COVID, despite the House of Representatives unanimously passing legislation to do so
President Joe Biden said Friday afternoon that he was still considering signing legislation declassifying any information the government has about the origin of COVID-19.
“I haven’t made that decision yet,” he told reporters as he left the White House for another weekend in Wilmington, Delaware.
Earlier Friday, the House voted unanimously to have the Biden administration release all information related to the origins of COVID — nearly three years since the Trump administration declared a national emergency over the pandemic.
The American public is now one step closer to uncovering the truth about the start of the virus that sparked widespread lockdowns and restrictions, and how much China is to blame.
President Joe Biden said Friday afternoon he has not yet decided whether to sign legislation declassifying any information the government has about the origin of COVID-19.
The vote passed 419-0 on Friday, with all members of Congress backing a motion to make public links to the Wuhan lab and documents on how the virus started.
The bill is now on President Biden’s desk after the Senate passed it earlier this month, and Republicans have demanded that he sign it to clarify what happened.
If the President does not act for ten days while Congress is in session, it automatically becomes law. He can veto it, but Congress has enough votes — two-thirds of the House and Senate — to override a veto.
The bipartisan vote comes two weeks after an Energy Department report found COVID likely leaked from an accidental lab leak in China.
It would require the Director of National Intelligence to declassify all information and release “all information regarding possible links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of the coronavirus disease.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray also said on March 1 that the FBI believes the virus most likely came from a lab accident.
The rest of the US government is divided over theories about the origin of the pandemic that has led to the lockdowns and restrictions.
dr Anthony Fauci, Biden’s COVID advisor, who left government last year, said he still believes it was likely a natural event.
However, he has insisted he is still “open minded” to the theories and the origins may not be known for years, if at all.
He has been under constant scrutiny and earlier this week was accused of trying to exclude experts who supported the lab leak theory because they didn’t fit his “narrative”.
In an interview on Fox News on Thursday, Fauci denied the allegations.
dr Anthony Fauci, Biden’s COVID advisor, who left government last year, said he still believes it was likely a natural event
The House of Representatives unanimously voted for the Biden administration to release all information related to the origin of COVID — including the documents investigating whether it was leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (above).
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden would “look at” the bill but would not confirm if he would sign it when asked at their briefing.
Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri introduced the law and said the passage was the first step in finally holding China accountable.
“Today the House passed my COVID Origins Bill with bipartisan support and sent it to the President’s desk,” Hawley said.
“This is a great first step in holding China accountable for this crisis and I urge President Biden to sign it immediately. The American people deserve to know the truth.’
Experts say the true origin of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 1 million Americans may not be known for many years — if at all.
“Transparency is a cornerstone of our democracy,” Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said during the debate.