• About us
  • Donate
  • WADR
  • Contact us
  • Live Stream
Saturday, June 7, 2025
Loud Silence News
Advertisement
  • Ghana News
    • General News
    • Business
    • Education
    • Opinion
  • US News
    • Business
    • Health
    • Human Interest Stories
    • Politics
    • Education
  • Africa News
    • Business
    • Education
    • Health
    • Politics
  • ShowBiz
    • Ghana ShowBiz
    • US Showbiz
    • African ShowBiz
    • World Showbiz
  • Editorials
    • People
  • World News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Education
    • Health
  • Sports
    • Ghana Sports
    • World Sports
  • WADR
No Result
View All Result
  • Ghana News
    • General News
    • Business
    • Education
    • Opinion
  • US News
    • Business
    • Health
    • Human Interest Stories
    • Politics
    • Education
  • Africa News
    • Business
    • Education
    • Health
    • Politics
  • ShowBiz
    • Ghana ShowBiz
    • US Showbiz
    • African ShowBiz
    • World Showbiz
  • Editorials
    • People
  • World News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Education
    • Health
  • Sports
    • Ghana Sports
    • World Sports
  • WADR
No Result
View All Result
Loud Silence News
No Result
View All Result
Home US News US Education

U.S. Intelligence Agencies Conclude Coronavirus ‘Not Manmade’

Loud Silence Staff by Loud Silence Staff
April 30, 2020
in US Education
0
U.S. Intelligence Agencies Conclude Coronavirus ‘Not Manmade’
8
SHARES
43
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsApp

[ad_1]

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence agencies are debunking a conspiracy theory, saying they have concluded that the new coronavirus was “not manmade or genetically modified” but say they are still examining a notion put forward by the president and aides that the pandemic may have resulted from an accident at a Chinese lab.

The statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the clearinghouse for the web of U.S. spy agencies, comes as President Donald Trump and his allies have touted the as-yet-unproven theory that an infectious disease lab in Wuhan, the epicenter of the Chinese outbreak, was the source of the global pandemic, which has killed more than 220,000 people worldwide.

In recent days the Trump administration has sharpened its rhetoric on China, accusing the geopolitical foe and vital trading partner of failing to act swiftly enough to sound the alarm to the world about the outbreak or to stop the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. U.S. officials have said the Chinese government should “pay a price” for its handling of the pandemic.

The new statement says, “The Intelligence Community also concurs with the wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not manmade or genetically modified.”

“The IC will continue to rigorously examine emerging information and intelligence to determine whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan.”

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting about the coronavirus response with Gov. Phil Murphy, D-N.J., in the Oval Offi



ASSOCIATED PRESS

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting about the coronavirus response with Gov. Phil Murphy, D-N.J., in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 30, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump on Thursday again blamed China for not doing enough to contain the coronavirus.

“We just got hit by a vicious virus that should never have been allowed to escape China,” he said during an Oval Office meeting with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

Earlier this month, Trump addressed the lab theory saying, “More and more, we’re hearing the story.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added at the time, “The mere fact that we don’t know the answers — that China hasn’t shared the answers — I think is very, very telling.”

Pompeo also pressed China to let outside experts into the lab “so that we can determine precisely where this virus began.”

While Trump and Pompeo have made public statements speculating about the lab, a U.S. intelligence official disputed the notion that there was any pressure on agencies to bolster a particular theory. The intelligence official was not authorized to publicly discuss the issue and spoke only on condition of anonymity.

Scientists say the virus arose naturally in bats. Even so, Pompeo and others have pointed fingers at an institute that is run by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It has done groundbreaking research tracing the likely origins of the SARS virus, finding new bat viruses and discovering how they could jump to people.

“We know that there is the Wuhan Institute of Virology just a handful of miles away from where the wet market was,” Pompeo said two weeks ago. The institute has an address 8 miles, or 13 kilometers, from the market that is considered a possible source.

U.S. officials say the American Embassy in Beijing flagged concerns about potential safety issues at the lab in Wuhan in 2018, but they have yet to find any evidence the virus originated there nearly two years later.

The Chinese government said Thursday that any claims that the coronavirus was released from a laboratory are “unfounded and purely fabricated out of nothing.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang cited the institute’s director, Yuan Zhiming, as saying the lab strictly implements bio-security procedures that would prevent the release of any pathogen.

“I would like to point out again that the origin of the virus is a complex scientific issue, and it should be studied by scientists and professionals,” Geng said.

Geng also criticized U.S. politicians who have suggested China should be held accountable for the global pandemic, saying they should spend their time on “better controlling the epidemic situation at home.”

But a Chinese government spokesman, Zhao Lijian, demonstrated that China was not above sowing confusion in the face of the pandemic. He tweeted in March the falsehood that the virus might have come from the U.S. Army.

Trump, whose early response to the outbreak has been questioned, also pushed back on news reports that he was repeatedly warned about the virus by intelligence agencies. Trump said he was given the first intelligence briefing in “later January.” Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar also briefed Trump on the threat by phone on Jan. 18.

AP writer Deb Riechmann contributed.

Calling all HuffPost superfans!

Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost’s next chapter



[ad_2]

This content first appear on huffpost

You might also like

‘I Have A Lot’ Going On: Trump Again Deflects Blame For Medical Supplies Shortage

Trump Pushes Country Toward Reopening, Claiming ‘Virus Will Pass’

Republicans Divided Over Additional Coronavirus Relief For States And Cities

Tags: chinaCoronavirusCOVID-19Donald TrumpIntelligence agencymike pompeoPolitics and GovernmentUnited StatesWuhan
Previous Post

The savings rate hit its highest level since 1981

Next Post

COVID-19: Court Orders Lawmakers In Uganda To Pay Back Money They Awarded Themselves To Combat Coronavirus | Politics

Loud Silence Staff

Loud Silence Staff

Related Posts

‘I Have A Lot’ Going On: Trump Again Deflects Blame For Medical Supplies Shortage
US Education

‘I Have A Lot’ Going On: Trump Again Deflects Blame For Medical Supplies Shortage

by Loud Silence Staff
May 6, 2020
Trump Pushes Country Toward Reopening, Claiming ‘Virus Will Pass’
US Education

Trump Pushes Country Toward Reopening, Claiming ‘Virus Will Pass’

by Loud Silence Staff
May 6, 2020
Republicans Divided Over Additional Coronavirus Relief For States And Cities
US Education

Republicans Divided Over Additional Coronavirus Relief For States And Cities

by Loud Silence Staff
May 5, 2020
Trump Signals Coronavirus Task Force Will Soon Wind Down
US Education

Trump Signals Coronavirus Task Force Will Soon Wind Down

by Loud Silence Staff
May 5, 2020
California Sues Uber, Lyft To Enforce Gig Worker Protection Law
US Education

California Sues Uber, Lyft To Enforce Gig Worker Protection Law

by Loud Silence Staff
May 5, 2020
Next Post
COVID-19: Court Orders Lawmakers In Uganda To Pay Back Money They Awarded Themselves To Combat Coronavirus | Politics

COVID-19: Court Orders Lawmakers In Uganda To Pay Back Money They Awarded Themselves To Combat Coronavirus | Politics

Recommended

Penguin Meets Up With Orangutan During Excursion In Empty San Diego Zoo

Penguin Meets Up With Orangutan During Excursion In Empty San Diego Zoo

May 1, 2020
CIA warned employees against Trump’s wonder drug

CIA warned employees against Trump’s wonder drug

April 14, 2020

Categories

  • African Business
  • African Education
  • African Health
  • African News
  • African Politics
  • African ShowBiz
  • Education
  • Ghana Business
  • Ghana News
  • Ghana ShowBiz
  • Ghana Sports
  • Human Interest Stories
  • News
  • Opinion
  • People
  • ShowBiz
  • Social Trends
  • US Business
  • US Education
  • US Health
  • US News
  • US Politics
  • US Showbiz
  • WADR
  • World Business
  • World News
  • World Politics
  • World Showbiz
  • World Sports

Don't miss it

President Mahama Unveils 24-Hour Economy Plan, Set to roll out in July
Ghana News

President Mahama Unveils 24-Hour Economy Plan, Set to roll out in July

May 28, 2025
Unmasking the Propaganda Machine: The Coordinated Smear Campaign Against Dr. Anne Sansa Daly
Ghana News

Ghana’s Medical and Dental Council Clarifies Stance on Dr. Anne Sansa Daly’s Certification

May 26, 2025
Nii Armah Amarteifio Apologizes to Dr. Daly
Ghana News

Nii Armah Amarteifio Apologizes to Dr. Daly

May 24, 2025
Unmasking the Propaganda Machine: The Coordinated Smear Campaign Against Dr. Anne Sansa Daly
Ghana News

Unmasking the Propaganda Machine: The Coordinated Smear Campaign Against Dr. Anne Sansa Daly

May 23, 2025
Legal Notice: Demand for Retraction of Defamatory Publication
Ghana News

Legal Notice: Demand for Retraction of Defamatory Publication

May 23, 2025
Legal Notice: Demand for Retraction of Defamatory Publication
Ghana News

Legal Notice: Demand for Retraction of Defamatory Publication

May 23, 2025

About Us

LOGO

Loud Silence Radio & TV Network and is a multi media production company focusing on Ghanaian and African news.

Contact

  • Alexandria, Virginia, USA
  • +1 212-602-9641
  • loudsilenceradio@gmail.com
Facebook Twitter Youtube Linkedin

Download App

google play store

© 2021 Loud Silence Media. All rights reserved.

  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Donate
  • Live Stream
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
Menu
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Donate
  • Live Stream
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
No Result
View All Result
  • Ghana News
    • General News
    • Business
    • Education
    • Opinion
  • US News
    • Business
    • Health
    • Human Interest Stories
    • Politics
    • Education
  • Africa News
    • Business
    • Education
    • Health
    • Politics
  • ShowBiz
    • Ghana ShowBiz
    • US Showbiz
    • African ShowBiz
    • World Showbiz
  • Editorials
    • People
  • World News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Education
    • Health
  • Sports
    • Ghana Sports
    • World Sports
  • WADR
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.