CNN: The U.S. Department of Energy Assesses that Covid-19 Likely Resulted from a Lab Leak, Furthering the U.S. Intel Divide Over the Origins of the Virus

WHITFIELD An updated classified ░░░░░░░░ report saying that the ░░░░░░░░ S Department of Energy ░░░░░░░░ assessed that the source ░░░░░░░░ the Covid 19 pandemic ░░░░░░░░ came from a China ░░░░░░░░ leak But there is ░░░░░░░░ major caveat Sources at ░░░░░░░░ Department of Energy tell ░░░░░░░░ that the report has ░░░░░░░░ low confidence CNN s ░░░░░░░░ Bertrand has been reporting ░░░░░░░░ all of this and ░░░░░░░░ s joining us right ░░░░░░░░ on the phone Natasha ░░░░░░░░ mean various U S ░░░░░░░░ agencies have been split ░░░░░░░░ this issue for years ░░░░░░░░ This is from the ░░░░░░░░ of Energy low confidence ░░░░░░░░ does all this mean ░░░░░░░░ Yeah so this is ░░░░░░░░ another data point The ░░░░░░░░ community has been examining ░░░░░░░░ really closely for the ░░░░░░░░ two years ever since ░░░░░░░░ Biden tasked them with ░░░░░░░░ the origins of the ░░░░░░░░ 19 pandemic shortly after ░░░░░░░░ first got into office ░░░░░░░░ in 2021 the intel ░░░░░░░░ roughly 18 of them ░░░░░░░░ couldn t come to ░░░░░░░░ definitive conclusion about where ░░░░░░░░ virus actually originated That ░░░░░░░░ still the case But ░░░░░░░░ we re now seeing ░░░░░░░░ that the Department of ░░░░░░░░ has collected some new ░░░░░░░░ according to our sources ░░░░░░░░ has led them to ░░░░░░░░ to a conclusion that ░░░░░░░░ lab leak theory is ░░░░░░░░ and that it likely ░░░░░░░░ come from a lab ░░░░░░░░ of course that major ░░░░░░░░ noted that that assessment ░░░░░░░░ low confidence is very ░░░░░░░░ because low confidence assessment ░░░░░░░░ means that the information ░░░░░░░░ by the intel community ░░░░░░░░ not reliable enough or ░░░░░░░░ s too fragmented to ░░░░░░░░ a more definitive judgment ░░░░░░░░ there s simply not ░░░░░░░░ information available to draw ░░░░░░░░ more robust conclusion about ░░░░░░░░ origins of this pandemic ░░░░░░░░ bottom line here is ░░░░░░░░ this really adds to ░░░░░░░░ divide in the U ░░░░░░░░ government over whether the ░░░░░░░░ began in China in ░░░░░░░░ as the result of ░░░░░░░░ lab leak or whether ░░░░░░░░ emerged naturally There are ░░░░░░░░ with the Department of ░░░░░░░░ other agencies that also ░░░░░░░░ this could have emerged ░░░░░░░░ a lab including the ░░░░░░░░ which has medium confidence ░░░░░░░░ that theory However the ░░░░░░░░ intel agencies for example ░░░░░░░░ the CIA they still ░░░░░░░░ not know definitively where ░░░░░░░░ pandemic originated So there ░░░░░░░░ still a lot of ░░░░░░░░ to be done we ░░░░░░░░ told before they can ░░░░░░░░ to any kind of ░░░░░░░░ analytic conclusion about this ░░░░░░░░ we should note there ░░░░░░░░ many people inside the ░░░░░░░░ S government that don ░░░░░░░░ believe that we may ░░░░░░░░ know for sure where ░░░░░░░░ virus came from Fred ░░░░░░░░ Then Natasha why make ░░░░░░░░ public now Why not ░░░░░░░░ until there is a ░░░░░░░░ definitive conclusion BERTRAND Yeah ░░░░░░░░ the intel community essentially ░░░░░░░░ been regularly updating Congress ░░░░░░░░ it obtains information that ░░░░░░░░ believe is significant enough ░░░░░░░░ brief to lawmakers This ░░░░░░░░ part of that As ░░░░░░░░ of their ongoing investigation ░░░░░░░░ Covid origins again that ░░░░░░░░ Biden tasked them with ░░░░░░░░ they ve been collecting ░░░░░░░░ intel more analysis and ░░░░░░░░ what we re told ░░░░░░░░ they have enough to ░░░░░░░░ at this point This ░░░░░░░░ Department of Energy update ░░░░░░░░ as part of a ░░░░░░░░ report that the entire ░░░░░░░░ community sent to Congress ░░░░░░░░ So this is part ░░░░░░░░ that kind of regular ░░░░░░░░ process When they next ░░░░░░░░ more information to update ░░░░░░░░ will do so but ░░░░░░░░ this is all kind ░░░░░░░░ incremental at this point ░░░░░░░░ no definitive conclusions as ░░░░░░░░ yet about the pandemic ░░░░░░░░ origin.”