Milwaukee City Wire

On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, M.D. (R-Ky.) and 17 other Senate GOP colleagues in sending a follow-up letter to the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William J. Burns. The letter was a reiteration of previous information requests regarding whistleblower allegations disclosed by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence related to the CIA's investigation into the origins of COVID-19.

The allegations stem from a September 2023 letter from the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. According to the letter, a senior-level CIA officer who is a whistleblower testified that the Agency paid off six analysts who determined that COVID-19 likely originated from a lab leak in Wuhan, China. The letter also stated that the CIA assigned seven officers with scientific expertise to a COVID Discovery Team, and after their review, six of the seven members believed that the available intelligence and science were sufficient to conclude that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory in Wuhan. However, the letter asserted that these six members were given a significant monetary incentive to change their position, leading to the CIA's public determination of uncertainty on COVID-19 origins.

In light of these allegations, Sen. Johnson and his colleagues expressed concern in their letter about the Agency's investigation into the COVID-19 pandemic. They highlighted the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's June 2023 unclassified report, which stated that the CIA remained "unable to determine the precise origin of the COVID-19 pandemic." The senators emphasized that the CIA's refusal to cooperate with requests for information by members of the Senate regarding whistleblower allegations is unacceptable. They argued that the CIA has an obligation to be responsive to congressional oversight requests from all members of the Senate, regardless of their committee assignments.

To address their concerns, the senators reiterate their requests for specific information from the CIA. These requests include all documents and communications regarding the establishment of all iterations of the COVID Discovery Team(s), as well as all documents and communications related to the origins of COVID-19. They also seek documents and communications between the COVID Discovery Team(s) and other employees or contractors of the Agency, as well as with employees or contractors of other federal government agencies.

Sen. Johnson and Sen. Paul were joined by 17 other Senate GOP colleagues in signing the letter. The signatories include Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

The senators' letter to CIA Director Burns can be read in full on the Daily Caller website, and the previous letter from September 2023 can be found through the provided link.

This latest action by Sen. Johnson and his colleagues demonstrates their commitment to seeking transparency and accountability in the investigation into the origins of COVID-19. As the debate continues, it remains to be seen how the CIA will respond to these requests for information.