Dr. Anthony Fauci may have briefed world health leaders last year that COVID-19 could have originated from a lab.
Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told “Face the Nation” host John Dickerson that a senior Trump administration official relayed that Fauci not only was aware of this possibility — but informed other leaders on his suspicions.
“Well, I was told at that time, back in the spring, that Dr. Fauci had gone over to a meeting of world health leaders in Europe and actually briefed them on the information that they were looking at, that this could have been a potential lab leak, that this strain looked unusual,” Gottlieb explained, as reported by the Daily Caller. “I think early on, when they looked at the strain, they had suspicions.”
While the fact Fauci knew the virus could have been leaked from a Chinese lab last year indicates he may not have been forthcoming with the American public, Gottlieb also asserted that he did not find the emails recently made public to be incriminating.
“I didn’t think there was anything remarkable in those emails,” Gottlieb shared. “I don’t think there was anything that Tony said that expressed any ill intent, and nothing that was new.”
Gottlieb blamed much of the confusion surrounding the origin of the coronavirus on solely relying on the science, saying that it should be viewed in a broader lens.
“A scientific mindset looks at the virus and the virus’ behavior and draws a conclusion, “Gottlieb said. “A national security assessment looks at that and then looks at the behavior of the Chinese government, the behavior of the lab, other evidence around the lab, including the infections we now know took place, and that changes the overall assessment.”
For Gottlieb’s full comments, watch below: