The President of the United States, Joe Biden, signed this Monday (20) a bill that requires the suspension of confidentiality of information related to the origins of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, the White House said.
Biden said he shared the US Congress’ goal of releasing as much information as possible about the origin of Covid-19.
“By implementing this legislation, my administration will suspend secrecy and share as much of this information as possible, consistent with my constitutional authority to protect against disclosure of information that could harm national security,” Biden said in a statement.
The bill passed through the Senate and House of Representatives unopposed before being sent to the White House.
Washington has driven a highly politicized debate over the origins of the coronavirus pandemic almost since the first reported human cases in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, amid calls from Biden’s fellow Democrats and Republicans for more pressure on a rising China. .
The debate was refueled last month when the Wall Street Journal reported that the US Department of Energy assessed that the pandemic likely arose after a Chinese laboratory leak, a charge Beijing denies.
The department concluded with “low confidence” in a classified intelligence report. The FBI also assessed that the pandemic likely originated from a laboratory leak. Four other US agencies still believe that Covid-19 likely resulted from natural transmission, while two have yet to take action.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by Kanishka Singh and Costas Pitas)
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
