WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th July, 2023) The US State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will release documents containing information about research conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, US Senator Rand Paul said on Friday.
"After 2 years, the State Department and USAID have agreed to release documents related to risky research conducted in Wuhan. I am pleased that both agencies are going to cooperate in our investigation and provide these critical records," Paul tweeted.
The announcement appears to end a months-long effort by the lawmaker to secure the release of such documents, which included blocking State Department nominees from Senate confirmation.
In June, the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a declassified report on the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. the US intelligence community concluded that there was no incident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology that could have led to the pandemic, according to the report.
However, the lab leak theory continues to attract the attention of members of Congress. Earlier this month, the US House oversight panel's Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released a report alleging that the US government actively downplayed the theory.
The White House also halted Federal funding to the Wuhan Institute of Virology earlier this month for allegedly failing to provide proper documentation, according to US media reports. The US Department of Health and Human Services found the facility out of compliance with federal regulations and is seeking to debar the lab completely, the report said.
