Dr. Robert Redfield, the former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the Trump administration, testified before a congressional committee on Wednesday. The hearing was convened to investigate the origins of Covid-19 and the potential role of the US government in its spread.
In his testimony, Redfield made the claim that his former colleague, Anthony Fauci, had “sidelined” him in internal debates about the pandemic. He also made the case that Fauci had suppressed the lab-leak theory of the virus's origin, which Redfield suggested should be further investigated.
Redfield went on to criticize the concept of gain-of-function research, which involves modifying viruses to make them more infectious or virulent. He suggested that such research was too risky to be worth pursuing. He also suggested that the US government may have helped fund the development of the Sars-Cov2 virus, which is believed to have caused the pandemic.
The former CDC director further recommended to lawmakers that there should be a moratorium on gain-of-function research. He argued that the potential risks outweighed the potential benefits, and that such research would be irresponsible without further investigation into the origins of Covid-19.
Redfield also suggested that the lab-leak theory should be further investigated. He said that the current lack of evidence should not be taken as proof of the theory's validity. Rather, he argued, it should be seen as proof that the theory has not been adequately investigated yet.
Redfield's testimony was part of a larger investigation into the origins of Covid-19. The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hosted the hearing, which was the first of its kind in the US.
The former CDC director's testimony was significant in that it provided further evidence of the Trump administration's handling of the pandemic. It also provided further fuel to the lab-leak theory, which has been largely pushed aside by the US government.
Ultimately, Redfield's testimony will likely have a major impact on the investigation into Covid-19's origins. The hearing was the first of its kind, and it provided some of the most compelling evidence yet for the lab-leak theory. It remains to be seen whether or not the US government will take the necessary steps to fully investigate this theory.
