CIA, Under New Director Ratcliffe, Favors Lab Leak Theory for COVID-19 Origin

Jan 25, 2025, 08:28 PM

The CIA has shifted its stance and now favors the theory that COVID-19 likely originated from a lab leak in Wuhan, China. This new assessment, released by the CIA's new Director John Ratcliffe, indicates that analysts now consider a research-related origin more probable than a natural one, although with low confidence due to limited intelligence. Officials noted that there is no new intelligence behind the agency's shift; rather, it is based on a reassessment of existing evidence. Ratcliffe, who wants the agency to 'get off the sidelines' in the debate, declassified and released the decision upon his appointment. The CIA had previously maintained that there was insufficient information to determine the origins of the pandemic.