Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, yesterday, February 26, The Wall Street Journal released another article about the origins of COVID-19. This time, the Department of Energy has acknowledged that most likely this was a lab leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. I remember having a hearing here in the Capitol with the Select Committee on the Coronavirus Pandemic at which we discussed the origins of COVID-19. We were derided and we were ridiculed, as were other Members of Congress. I think it is important that we recognize there is such an importance for free speech, especially in healthcare and in medicine and science, that a debate is what needs to take place and that we should be careful in who we chastise simply because we don't like the political party that they represent. It was no conspiracy to acknowledge that there was not furin cleavage sites normal, that there were doubling of amino acids, and that there was gain-of-function research that had been funded indirectly by the United States Government despite a prohibition on gain-of-function research. To this day, there has not yet been an intermediate host for SARS- CoV-2, although there was very rapidly with both SARS and MERS. My point is that we need to recognize that we can have differences of opinion and those should not be considered to be radical or conspiracy theories, despite what political party that emanates from. ____________________”