The Facts
A newly declassified report by Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee alleges that the US intelligence community missed the opportunity to better understand COVID by not spying on Chinese health professionals more quickly when it knew the PRC was reportedly hiding valuable information.
Other findings from the report suggested that intelligence agencies haven't made changes to their protocols regarding advance warnings of new global health crises, including novel diseases.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Trump’s deliberate efforts to undermine the US response to COVID were already part of the public record, but these reports are vital for stressing how badly he bungled the pandemic. The Trump admin. mischaracterized pandemic intelligence for political reasons and tried to pressure health officials into authorizing discredited treatments. These findings are extremely concerning.
Republican narrative
The Democrats' report is Monday morning quarterbacking, but what’s important now is what committee Republicans have discovered about obstruction from US intelligence agencies regarding COVID origins. If we’re going to prevent another pandemic, and possibly hold someone accountable for the COVID outbreak, we can’t rule out the lab-leak theory, which is the real bombshell that needs scrutiny here.
