Ratcliffe Releases Biden-Era Report

Well, well, well—look who’s finally catching up. The CIA’s newfound interest in being transparent about the origins of COVID-19 has everyone doing a double-take.

In a moment that feels like it’s been years in the making (because it has), newly confirmed CIA Director John Ratcliffe revealed that the agency now “slightly favors” the lab leak theory as the most likely origin of the virus. Imagine that—a theory that was dismissed as a conspiracy by the so-called experts in 2020 is now getting a little love from the intelligence community. What a time to be alive.

Let’s rewind for a moment. Back in 2020, anyone daring to suggest that COVID-19 might have escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology was branded a tinfoil-hat-wearing nutjob. Mainstream media? Silent. Social media? Censoring posts left and right. Top health officials? Doing everything they could to push the “wet market” narrative while dismissing the lab-leak idea outright. And now? The CIA, under a Biden-era assessment, no less, admits the lab-leak theory is more likely than a natural origin. Low confidence or not, that’s still quite the pivot.

In his first interview since taking over the agency, Director Ratcliffe didn’t mince words about the importance of coming clean with the American people. Speaking with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, he emphasized that releasing this assessment wasn’t just about transparency—it was about rebuilding trust in American institutions. Let’s face it: after years of seeing intel agencies playing politics instead of focusing on their actual jobs, trust has been in short supply. Ratcliffe summed it up perfectly: the CIA can protect Americans from foreign threats and be honest with them at the same time. What a novel idea!

Now, the fact that this assessment comes from the Biden administration’s tenure is noteworthy. Why? Because it gives the finding a bipartisan edge—or at least takes the sting out of the inevitable accusations that this is just some GOP talking point. Ratcliffe made it clear: this isn’t about politics, it’s about truth. And frankly, it’s about time. The American people deserve to know what actually caused this pandemic, which devastated lives, destroyed businesses, and upended our entire way of life.

And yet, the CIA’s spokesperson made sure to hedge the finding, labeling it as “low confidence” and reminding everyone that a natural origin is still “plausible.” Translation: they’re dipping a toe in the water but aren’t quite ready to dive in. Understandable, perhaps, but you can’t help but wonder why it took five years to get even this much of an admission. Millions of lives were lost—over a million of them right here in America—and this is the best the “world’s greatest intelligence agency” can offer? Low confidence? Really?

Of course, this isn’t just about transparency—it’s about accountability. If gain-of-function research at a Chinese lab did, in fact, cause this pandemic, then there are some very big questions that need answering. Did China cover it up? Was there negligence involved? And why were so many of our own officials, including those in the Biden and Fauci camps, so quick to downplay the possibility of a lab-leak origin? The timing of this release is significant, and Ratcliffe’s remarks hint at the uncomfortable truth that the CIA—and perhaps other agencies—sat on this information for far too long.

Ultimately, this move by the CIA marks a step in the right direction. But let’s not hand out medals just yet. Transparency is great, but the real test will be whether this sparks any meaningful accountability for what happened—and whether it forces the Biden administration to stop kowtowing to China. Because if COVID-19 did come from a Wuhan lab, the American people aren’t just owed the truth. They’re owed justice.