In response to this statement on Thursday where President Trump suggested he’d seen evidence that “the Wuhan Institute of Virology was the origin of the virus”. . .
.@johnrobertsFox: "Have you seen anything at this point that gives you a high degree of confidence that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was the origin of this virus?"
President Trump: "Yes I have. Yes I have."
Full video here: https://t.co/tl2r5ZGz8B pic.twitter.com/7BKScTkQsL
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 30, 2020
. . .a “senior US intel officer” briefed journos on just what this means.
THREAD ==>
New: A senior US intel official says the 2 scenarios being examined about novel coronavirus' origins – via human contact with infected animals or as the result of a lab accident in Wuhan – are "both" supported by "evidence" the IC continues to evaluate.https://t.co/Grhshc0RkU
— Olivia Gazis (@Olivia_Gazis) May 1, 2020
"Evidence of both scenarios exists," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The official declined to further characterize the evidence or its credibility, or to say whether either scenario was considered by the intelligence community to be more or less likely
— Olivia Gazis (@Olivia_Gazis) May 1, 2020
The official's comments go a small step further than yesterday's statement from ODNI, which said that US intel agencies were continuing to "rigorously examine" information and intelligence while weighing both theories, and while conclusively ruling out that the virus was man-made
— Olivia Gazis (@Olivia_Gazis) May 1, 2020
The comments also add at least notional support for remarks made Thursday by President Trump, who said he had seen unspecified evidence supporting the theory that the virus first spread from a Wuhan lab. His remarks prompted Qs about whether he was overstating/misconstruing intel
— Olivia Gazis (@Olivia_Gazis) May 1, 2020
In a statement, an ODNI official said, "We continue to track any and all reports that point to either possibility. At this time, it is impossible to rule either theory out."
— Olivia Gazis (@Olivia_Gazis) May 1, 2020
"We are conducting this research because it is our job, our mission, and our passion, not because anyone is pressing us to do so," the ODNI official added.
— Olivia Gazis (@Olivia_Gazis) May 1, 2020
The president's comments on Thursday drew scrutiny in part because his has spoken cryptically about sensitive intelligence matters in the past, and occasionally made statements that other senior administration officials seemed unable to substantiate.
— Olivia Gazis (@Olivia_Gazis) May 1, 2020
Mr. Trump has also not hesitated to criticize public remarks made by his own intelligence leadership or to effectively disregard assessments he had been delivered.
— Olivia Gazis (@Olivia_Gazis) May 1, 2020
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