FIRST ON FOX: Republican senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Mike Braun of Indiana sent a letter to the nation’s top spy, asking him to comply with federal law by declassifying and turning over “all information” related to the origins of COVID-19 to Congress.
Hawley and Brown He sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines on Tuesday asking the head of the Office of National Intelligence (ODNI) to follow through on legislation they introduced that was signed into law by President Biden “to help to get to the truth about China and COVID-19.”
“This law required the Director of National Intelligence to ‘declassify all information’ related to links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of COVID-19,” the senators wrote.
The GOP REP DEMANDS A REPORT ON THE ORIGIN OF COVID DECLASSIFIED, CRITICIZES THE SUMMARY OF THE DNI RESULTS: “NOT ENOUGH”
Republican Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri, pictured here, and Mike Braun of Indiana sent a letter to the nation’s top spy asking him to comply with federal law by declassifying and turning over “all information” related to the origins of the COVID-19. in Congress (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“You failed to meet both requirements. The deadline was June 18, 2023,” they continued. “Well past the legal deadline, your office released a declassified report after business hours on June 23.”
“And the report itself was a paltry five pages of information, plus a cover page and an appendix. Obviously, the US government has more information than that. This half-baked effort falls short of legal requirements and undermines the intent of the Congress.”
Hawley and Braun wrote that “Haines’ breach of the law is particularly troubling in light of recent events,” noting that the Biden administration and ODNI “have shown a troubling level of deference to China , including obfuscating the scope of China’s intelligence cooperation with Cuba and downplaying the severity of China’s intelligence gathering over US airspace.”
Senators Josh Hawley and Mike Braun sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines on Tuesday asking the head of the National Intelligence Service to follow through on legislation they introduced that was enacted by President Biden “to help get to the truth about China and COVID-19.” -19.”
At the time, senators said ODNI and the Biden administration appeared to be withholding the information to appease the Chinese Communist government.
“You and the rest of the Administration appear to be refusing to provide information about China’s role and responsibility in the COVID-19 pandemic in order to avoid upsetting Beijing,” the senators wrote.
GOP SENATORS DEMAND BIDEN COMPLETE ON COVID ORIGIN TRANSPARENCY ACT As deadline nears
“We invite you to try again. Within 7 business days, provide Congress with documentation that fully complies with the letter of the law to disclose ‘all information’ related to the origins of COVID-19 and a leak lab with minimal redactions.” they continued.
Senators Josh Hawley and Mike Braun said the Office of National Intelligence and the Biden administration appear to be withholding information to appease the Chinese Communist government. (Getty Images)
“If you do not, we would appreciate your testifying before Congress on this matter so that you can answer questions under oath,” Hawley and Braun wrote. “The American people deserve to know the truth about China’s role in the origins of COVID-19.”
The letter from Republicans comes as scrutiny of the Biden administration and ODNI intensifies after the report on the origins of COVID-19 was delivered late to Congress.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
ODNI released a nine-page report on “Potential Links Between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the Origin of the COVID-19 Pandemic,” which analyzed the U.S. intelligence community’s understanding of the ‘institute based in Wuhan, China, at the heart of the theory. that the pandemic could have originated from a laboratory leak, including its capabilities and the actions of its personnel, according to the summary.
Although the intelligence community has not reached a conclusion on whether the pandemic was spurred by a laboratory leak or by “natural exposure” by an infected animal, such as at one of the markets in wild animals in China, “all agencies continue to evaluate. both a natural and laboratory-associated origin remain plausible hypotheses to explain the first human infection,” the report said.
Fox News Digital’s Hanna Panreck contributed reporting.
