Dr. Anthony Fauci has been under fire from Congress for his role in dismissing the lab leak theory of the pandemic’s origin. But now, the scientist’s ‘stooges’ have come up with a new theory: that raccoon dogs sold for consumption at a Wuhan wet market are the culprits behind the pandemic.
It’s a ridiculous idea, and virologists are pushing back. Rutgers University professor of chemical biology Richard Ebright calls it “pseudoscientific nonsense” and says the evidence used to back it up hasn’t been released for peer review or independent analysis.
The trio of lead researchers on the study—Scripps Research Institute virologist Kristian Andersen, University of Arizona evolutionary biologist Michael Worobey, and University of Sydney biologist Edward Holmes—have a history of pushing sensational claims to the media designed to detract from the lab leak theory.
Andersen is best known for privately warning Fauci in January 2020 that COVID-19 contained features that “look engineered,” only to publicly reverse his stance weeks later and become one of the most outspoken opponents of the lab leak theory.
In fact, Fauci commissioned Andersen and Holmes to write a paper in February 2020 specifically to “disprove” the lab leak theory.
Former National Security Council official Jamie Metzl has since said there’s a “zero percent chance” that the raccoon dog evidence released so far constitutes a “smoking gun” proving a market origin of the pandemic.
The House and Senate have passed measures to declassify all intelligence about COVID-19’s origins, but President Joe Biden has yet to sign the bill.
The truth is, the new raccoon dog theory is nothing more than a desperate attempt to distract from the lab leak theory. It’s a way to keep Fauci from being held accountable for his role in the pandemic. But the truth of the matter is that the lab leak theory is more likely than ever, and there’s a growing cadre of independent virologists who agree.
It’s time for Fauci and his ‘stooges’ to stop playing games and let the facts speak for themselves. The American people deserve the truth, and it’s up to lawmakers to ensure that they get it.
