Document exposes $40 million of US taxpayer money sent to Wuhan for bat coronavirus emergence research

A newly obtained document has raised significant concerns about US taxpayer funds being allocated to a Wuhan-based scientist who was researching bat coronaviruses, with some questioning the potential connections to the outbreak of COVID-19.

The document, obtained by @WhiteCoatWaste following a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, reveals that the then US government under Biden administration, through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), sent over $40 million in financial support to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) for research on bat coronavirus emergence. The funds were specifically used for a scientist’s project studying the risks of bat-related coronaviruses.

What makes the funding even more concerning is that the scientist in question is said to have later become “patient zero” for COVID-19, further fueling speculation about the virus’s origins.

The funding, which was completed in 2019, is raising questions about the timeline of US support and its potential connection to the outbreak of COVID-19 in late 2019, which has left millions dead and caused a global health crisis.

The NIAID, led by Dr. Anthony Fauci, had faced heightened scrutiny over the funding of gain-of-function research in Wuhan, a topic that has been hotly debated for years in both scientific and political circles.

The release of this document brings the issue back to the forefront, prompting fresh calls for transparency and investigation into the potential role US taxpayer money played in the research.

WhiteCoatWaste, a government watchdog group, has been actively investigating government spending on controversial biomedical research, advocating for greater accountability and oversight of US taxpayer funds used in global scientific projects.

Then US Govt funded risky Wuhan Lab Research amid COVID-19 outbreak

The revelation earlier that the then US government funded risky research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) over the COVID-19 pandemic has ignited further controversy, with Tesla CEO Elon Musk calling for the arrest of Dr. Anthony Fauci, then director of NIAID.

Lawrence Tabak, a senior official at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), testified before Congress in May, confirming that the NIH had provided funding for “gain-of-function” research at the WIV.

Fauci’s role and backlash

Dr. Fauci, who was a leading figure in the US pandemic response and the director of the NIAID until his retirement in 2022, was both celebrated and criticized for his public health guidance throughout the pandemic. Fauci’s support for social distancing, face masks, and vaccinations was praised by many as essential to combating the spread of COVID-19. However, he also became a target for critics, including then former President Donald Trump, who clashed with Fauci over his public statements and policies.

Despite the backlash, Fauci stood firm in his position, often publicly disagreeing with Trump’s downplaying of the virus. He spoke out against misinformation and disinformation, especially in relation to COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Fauci’s tenure at NIAID spanned more than 38 years, and he became a household name for his efforts in fighting global health crises, including HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and COVID-19.

Wuhan Lab and COVID-19 origins

The Wuhan Institute of Virology has been under intense scrutiny following suspicions that the COVID-19 virus may have leaked from the lab. The epidemic claimed the lives of more than 1.1 million Americans and led to widespread social, educational, and economic disruptions. While the origins of COVID-19 remain unclear, the Chinese government’s refusal to allow an independent international investigation has fueled speculations about the virus’s emergence.

In the US, the FBI and the Energy Department have raised concerns about a potential lab leak from the Wuhan lab, though official investigations have yet to definitively confirm the source. While President Joe Biden refrained from directly addressing the issue, former President Donald Trump has been vocal in his call for China to pay reparations, proposing a $10 trillion amount.

Continued controversy

As the debate over the origins of COVID-19 continues, the role of US funding in Wuhan’s research is under fresh scrutiny.

China rejects CIA’s lab leak theory on COVID-19 origins

The Chinese government recently refuted a recent claim by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) which suggested that COVID-19 likely originated from a laboratory in China. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning described the lab leak theory as “extremely unlikely.”

Mao pointed to the findings of the China-WHO joint expert team, which conducted field visits to relevant laboratories in Wuhan, where the virus was first identified. The joint team concluded that a lab leak was highly improbable and that the virus likely spread from animal-to-human transmission.

The CIA’s assessment, made public on January 25, reignited debates over the origins of the pandemic, with some intelligence officials suggesting a lab leak as a more probable cause than natural transmission.