By Steve Neavling
FBI Director Christopher Wray said Tuesday that the bureau believes the COVID-19 pandemic “most likely” originated from a leak in a Chinese lab.
“The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan,” Wray said on Fox News.
Saying the assessment was based on research by the bureau’s analysts, Wray added that “our work related to this continues.”
Wray’s statement conflicts with several prominent scientific studies and other U.S. intelligence agencies that have concluded, albeit with lower confidence, that the virus likely first spread from infected animals to humans.
The White House said earlier this week that there is no consensus among government officials.
In his interview, Wray criticized China, saying the country “has been doing its best to try to thwart and obfuscate” efforts to identify the source of the pandemic.
Wray’s comments are the most high profile from a U.S. law enforcement official since the Energy Department’s classified report, first published by The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, concluded a lab leak in China likely caused the pandemic.
