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Letter to Hon. Joe Biden, President of the United States - Blackburn Calls on Biden to Ensure an Unbiased Investigation into the Origin of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Letter

Date: May 24, 2021
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Foreign Affairs Health and Health Care

Dear President Biden:

I write to follow-up on my March 1, 2021 letter with lingering concerns about the validity of the World Health Organization's (WHO) investigation into the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior reports appear to confirm that the WHO had "little power to conduct a thorough, impartial examination." On May 13, 2021, in a letter published in Science, a group of 19 prominent scientists called for a deeper investigation of the two primary hypotheses: 1) the virus began to spread after jumping from infected animals to humans; and 2) the virus was accidentally released from China's Wuhan Institute of Virology and began spreading in the human population.

Among other issues, these scientists call into question the China-WHO joint study's consideration of the two main hypotheses stating, "Only 4 of the 313 pages of the report and its annexes addressed the possibility of a laboratory accident." This fact is deeply concerning in light of recent media reports that, "[t]hree researchers from China's Wuhan Institute of Virology became sick enough in November 2019 that they sought hospital care."

In light of these reports and my continued concerns, please respond, in writing, to the following questions:

1. According to reports, the WHO asked the U.S. government to recommend three experts for the China-WHO joint investigation team. Although they were not ultimately selectedd, another U.S. scientist was selected for the team.

a. Please name the three scientists recommended by the U.S. and articulate the WHO's reasoning for not choosing these individuals.

2. Beijing has refused to share critical raw data on the initial cases of COVID-19 in China. Has Beijing provided the U.S. with that data? If not, please explain why.

3. The China-WHO joint investigation stated that they "lacked expertise and access to investigate a potential lab leak." What will the administration do to insure that competent, impartial experts are involved in future investigations?

4. WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said the organization was not mandated to do a forensic audit. Why was this the case? Will your administration insist on a fulsome forensic audit for future outbreaks?

I request the courtesy of a reply by June 14, 2021.

Sincerely,


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