Republicans are calling for the Biden administration to declassify documents detailing the origins of the COVID-19 virus, which some believe to be from a lab leak in Wuhan, China.
"Classified documents leaked (they should be declassified!) showing scientists at DOE believe COVID leaked from Wuhan Lab," tweeted Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., with a link to the associated Wall Street Journal report.
The story published by the Journal on Sunday details the origins of the COVID pandemic according to findings by the Energy Department, which match those drawn by the FBI in 2021. The DOE claims its conclusions of the pandemic origins from a lab leak to be offered at a "low confidence."
Intelligence agencies remain split on the theory of a lab leak. Several federal agencies said the virus originated from an animal outside a lab. All reports still are made with low confidence.
The CIA hasn't ruled anything out, though, as both the lab and animal host theories are in contention.
Besides Paul, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., has made similar calls for transparency. On Sunday, he said he introduced legislation to declassify findings of the COVID-19 pandemic's origins.
"The American people deserve the full truth about #covid origins. No more whitewash. I will again introduce legislation to make the US government's intelligence reports on covid more open to the people," he tweeted.
According to the report by the Journal, the DOE and the FBI determined the lab leak started for different reasons. The CIA has yet to make a final decision on if the virus originated from a lab or an animal host.
China has continually refused cooperation. In 2021, authorities rejected a World Health Organization effort to investigate whether the virus leaked from a lab.
The vice minister of China's National Health Commission, Zeng Yixin, rejected the possibility.