Whistleblower Claims COVID-19 Origins Investigation Was Flawed

The origins of COVID-19, a pandemic that claimed the lives of more than 1.2 million Americans, continue to spark heated debate and controversy. Now, newly revealed whistleblower documents have added another layer of intrigue, raising serious questions about whether a critical “blueprint” for the virus was deliberately misclassified, thus compromising the U.S. intelligence community’s investigation into the pandemic’s roots.

At the center of this bombshell revelation is Marine Corps Lt. Col. Joseph Murphy, who now leads the Warfighting Lab at Quantico, Virginia. In July 2021, Murphy discovered that an unclassified grant proposal known as Project DEFUSE had been uploaded to a classified portal. This misstep, he claimed, may have obscured vital information from a federal probe tasked with determining whether COVID-19 originated from a laboratory accident or a natural spillover event.

Project DEFUSE was a grant proposal submitted to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) by EcoHealth Alliance, a Manhattan-based nonprofit, in May 2018. The proposal aimed to conduct gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses, specifically engineering them to enhance their infectiousness. DARPA ultimately rejected the proposal, citing safety concerns.

However, the details of the DEFUSE proposal have since been viewed by some scientists as potential evidence that COVID-19 was engineered in a lab. According to whistleblower documents, the proposal outlined plans to create a coronavirus with characteristics identical to SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19.

Despite its unclassified nature, the DEFUSE proposal was excluded from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s (ODNI) final report on COVID-19 origins, which was released in August 2021. Murphy has expressed frustration over the over-classification of the proposal, stating that it was a critical piece of evidence that could have significantly impacted the ODNI’s conclusions.

In May 2021, President Joe Biden ordered the U.S. intelligence community to conduct a 90-day investigation into the origins of COVID-19. The resulting report delivered a “divided” verdict, with some agencies favoring a natural spillover theory and others pointing to a potential lab leak. The FBI and the Department of Energy were among the few entities that deemed a lab leak more likely.

However, the exclusion of the DEFUSE proposal from the investigation raises questions about the integrity of the process. Murphy and others have argued that the omission reflects a broader pattern of censorship and conflicts of interest within the intelligence community.

Kansas Senator Roger Marshall, who has been vocal about uncovering the truth behind COVID-19’s origins, described the situation as an “alarming breach of integrity.” He suggested that individuals with vested interests in gain-of-function research may have influenced the investigation’s findings.

EcoHealth Alliance, led by Dr. Peter Daszak, has faced intense scrutiny for its role in funding research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). The institute, located in the city where the pandemic originated, conducted gain-of-function experiments on bat coronaviruses with funding from U.S. agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

While EcoHealth has denied that its research contributed to the creation of SARS-CoV-2, whistleblower documents and testimony from former officials suggest otherwise. Dr. Lawrence Tabak, Principal Deputy Director of the NIH, testified that EcoHealth violated biosafety protocols and failed to submit reviews of its experiments.

Moreover, drafts of the DEFUSE proposal obtained by investigative group U.S. Right to Know revealed that Daszak sought to downplay the involvement of the Wuhan lab when seeking DARPA funding.

One of the most contentious aspects of the COVID-19 origins investigation is the potential for conflicts of interest. Dr. Ralph Baric, a University of North Carolina researcher who collaborated with WIV’s Dr. Shi Zhengli, was involved in the DEFUSE proposal. Baric also served as a consultant for the ODNI’s Biological Sciences Experts Group, raising concerns about his impartiality.

“Undisclosed conflicts of interest may have included professional reliance on federal grants, a bias towards risky pathogen research projects, or collaborative relationships with the WIV,” Senator Marshall stated in a letter urging further investigation into the matter.

Marshall’s letter also highlighted that no SARS-CoV-2 genomic or serological evidence has been found in over 80,000 animal samples tested in China, further undermining the natural spillover theory.

The whistleblower revelations have intensified calls for a thorough investigation into the U.S. government’s handling of COVID-19 origins. Rutgers University molecular biologist Dr. Richard Ebright described the situation as a “deliberate concealment” of critical evidence and called for an inspector general’s investigation to uncover potential misconduct.

“I agree with Senator Marshall that DoD and IC officials likely engaged in deliberate actions which may rise to the level of misconduct, false statements, obstruction of federal proceedings, conspiracy, conflicts of interest, or infractions of administrative or civil laws,” Ebright said.

Such an investigation, he argued, is a necessary first step toward ensuring accountability and preventing similar lapses in the future.

The controversy surrounding Project DEFUSE and the U.S. government’s COVID-19 origins probe underscores the high stakes of scientific transparency and national security. The pandemic’s devastating impact demands a thorough, unbiased investigation to determine its cause and prevent future global health crises.

At its core, the debate over COVID-19’s origins is about more than just the virus itself. It is a battle over the integrity of scientific research, the accountability of government agencies, and the need for global cooperation in addressing emerging threats.

As whistleblower documents continue to shed light on potential flaws in the COVID-19 origins investigation, the pressure is mounting for a full reckoning. Whether the virus originated from a natural spillover or a laboratory accident, the world deserves answers.

The revelations about Project DEFUSE and the involvement of EcoHealth Alliance and the Wuhan Institute of Virology only add to the urgency of the matter. The public has a right to know if conflicts of interest or deliberate obfuscation played a role in shaping the narrative around COVID-19’s origins.

For now, the mystery remains unsolved, but the calls for transparency and accountability grow louder with each new revelation. The truth about COVID-19’s origins may be closer than ever—but only if those in power have the courage to confront it head-on