U.S. intel community says coronavirus "not manmade or genetically modified"

Source: CBS News

U.S. intel community says coronavirus "not manmade or genetically modified"

BY OLIVIA GAZIS

APRIL 30, 2020 / 10:56 AM / CBS NEWS

Washington — The U.S. intelligence community has concluded that the coronavirus "was not manmade or genetically modified," but investigations into the origins of the outbreak are ongoing, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said Thursday.


"The entire Intelligence Community has been consistently providing critical support to U.S. policymakers and those responding to the COVID-19 virus, which originated in China," the ODNI said in a statement. "The Intelligence Community also concurs with the wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not manmade or genetically modified."

The ODNI said the intelligence community "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."

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-us-intelligence-community-china-odni/

---

MilestoneAchievingHat Retweeted

https://twitter.com/Popehat

New statement from ODNI on the origins of COVID-19:

“The Intelligence Community ... concurs with the wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not man made or genetically modified.”

Link to tweet

----------------------

https://www.odni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/item/2112-intelligence-community-statement-on-origins-of-covid-19

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ODNI News Release No. 11-20
April 30, 2020

Intelligence Community Statement on Origins of COVID-19

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of the Director of National Intelligence today issued the following Intelligence Community (IC) statement:

“The entire Intelligence Community has been consistently providing critical support to U.S. policymakers and those responding to the COVID-19 virus, which originated in China. The Intelligence Community also concurs with the wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not manmade or genetically modified."

“As we do in all crises, the Community’s experts respond by surging resources and producing critical intelligence on issues vital to U.S. national security. 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.”

###