CIA says COVID possibly originated from Chinese lab leak

[Phil C. McNasty]

CIA becomes latest intel agency to conclude COVID-19 possibly originated from Chinese lab leak

CIA becomes latest intel agency to conclude COVID-19 likely originated from Chinese lab leak

Now Langley joins the FBI and Energy Department in agreeing that a lab leak is the most likely source of the pandemic.

nypost.com

 

[The Oracle]

The usual suspects on here will still argue this at every turn...

 

[kherg007]

Low confidence. But getting persuasive.

 

[roddermac]

The usual suspects on here will still argue this at every turn...

Or Blame DJT

 

[Valcazar]

Nothing to argue.
CIA was told they can't stay at "undecided", and chose a side.

It will be interesting to see the actual report and not Trump's guy's summary of it.

Everyone does seem to be admitting they have no new evidence of any kind.

Low confidence. But getting persuasive.

In what way, given they freely admit they have no new evidence.

 

[lomotil]

Trump just put in a new CIA director. Trump may use the PRC’s complicity in the Covid-19 pandemic to leverage trade talks with China in America ‘s favour.
If the CIA has declassified documents on the Wuhan Lab deliberately infecting human cells with Coronavirus and then destroying the evidence as the pandemic was just starting then China is vulnerable to economic extortion in bilateral trade talks with America.
Trump may also go after the international scientific zoonotic cabal also, a group which unintentionally or intentionally help to discredit and obfuscate the very probable lab leak that caused this horrendous pandemic.
What cost would in reparations for this pandemic would China be looking at from the rest of the world ?

Trump said, “ I am your retribution “

 

[Valcazar]

Trump just put in a new CIA director. Trump may use the PRC’s complicity in the Covid-19 pandemic to leverage trade talks with China in America ‘s favour.
If the CIA has declassified documents on the Wuhan Lab deliberately infecting human cells with Coronavirus and then destroying the evidence as the pandemic was just starting then China is vulnerable to economic extortion in bilateral trade talks with America.

What on earth would make you think this has happened?

Also, if he has declassified those documents, the leverage is gone.
Wouldn't the leverage be to keep them classified and threaten to show them to everyone if China doesn't comply?

Trump may also go after the international scientific zoonotic cabal also, a group which unintentionally or intentionally help to discredit and obfuscate the very probable lab leak that caused this horrendous pandemic.

Does Trump actually care about those scientists?
Sure, he will go after political enemies, he promised to weaponize the government, but does he even know these scientists exist?
I suppose he has people in his administration who have beef with scientists, but for the most part I think Trump doesn't care.

What cost would in reparations for this pandemic would China be looking at from the rest of the world ?

Assuming you could get China to pay anything, a lot of what would be considered "owed" would depend on what version of the story you thought was true.

Trump said, “ I am your retribution “

Yes.
He has promised to hurt people he and his supporters don't like.

 

[lomotil]

What on earth would make you think this has happened?

Also, if he has declassified those documents, the leverage is gone.
Wouldn't the leverage be to keep them classified and threaten to show them to everyone if China doesn't comply?



Does Trump actually care about those scientists?
Sure, he will go after political enemies, he promised to weaponize the government, but does he even know these scientists exist?
I suppose he has people in his administration who have beef with scientists, but for the most part I think Trump doesn't care.



Assuming you could get China to pay anything, a lot of what would be considered "owed" would depend on what version of the story you thought was true.



Yes.
He has promised to hurt people he and his supporters don't like.

Trump has proven that selling promises of retribution works towards getting elected.
Trump will keep the term, “ China Virus” alive and weaponize it in trade deals with China.
Trump’s new CIA director will expand on the Trump’s position of the lab leak to the extent that China may no longer be able to choose to ignore certain obvious truths or at least questions towards the likelihood of a lab leak.
China is not taking the position of zoonotic transfer as is the Trump administration.

 

[Ahertz]

Just like that I’m done with new vaccines for viruses. Keep them.

 

[lomotil]

Just like that I’m done with new vaccines for viruses. Keep them.

RFK …and the worms ate into his brain…

 

[superstar_88]

possibly? That's nothing new. Probably would be a revelation.
CIA qualified it as a low confidence assessment.

 

[roddermac]

RFK …and the worms ate into his brain…

And he's still smarter than you're average Democrat and Liberal voter.

 

[Valcazar]

Trump has proven that selling promises of retribution works towards getting elected.

It got him elected here, yes.

Trump will keep the term, “ China Virus” alive and weaponize it in trade deals with China.

He will say a lot of shit, yes.
Not sure how saying "China Virus" gets him any benefit in a Trade deal, since it isn't like he will stop saying it if the deal happens.

Trump’s new CIA director will expand on the Trump’s position of the lab leak to the extent that China may no longer be able to choose to ignore certain obvious truths or at least questions towards the likelihood of a lab leak.

But you said he would declassify the papers and that will give him leverage.
Oh wait, is your argument that he will make everyone hate China by "proving" they did a lab leak and that will give him leverage in trade deals because China will want to make a beneficial deal to the guy who destroyed them?

Doesn't he have much better leverage if he tell China he has the proof they did a lab leak, but he will help them cover it up so long as he gets his advantageous trade deal?

China is not taking the position of zoonotic transfer as is the Trump administration.

I don't know what this sentence means.
China's position has been for years that COVID was caused by the US. (I think they mostly still argue that it was cooked up in a US lab and then deliberately seeded, so it isn't a "lab leak" scenario.)

 

[lomotil]

It got him elected here, yes.



He will say a lot of shit, yes.
Not sure how saying "China Virus" gets him any benefit in a Trade deal, since it isn't like he will stop saying it if the deal happens.




But you said he would declassify the papers and that will give him leverage.
Oh wait, is your argument that he will make everyone hate China by "proving" they did a lab leak and that will give him leverage in trade deals because China will want to make a beneficial deal to the guy who destroyed them?

Doesn't he have much better leverage if he tell China he has the proof they did a lab leak, but he will help them cover it up so long as he gets his advantageous trade deal?




I don't know what this sentence means.
China's position has been for years that COVID was caused by the US. (I think they mostly still argue that it was cooked up in a US lab and then deliberately seeded, so it isn't a "lab leak" scenario.)

China is a corrupt totalitarian regime that has a hell of a lot to answer for with respect to Covid-19 and the pandemic.
China makes long term plans to achieve their goals and as such can wait out American four presidential terms, even if they are run by a moron POTUS like the current incumbent who exact his ”pound of flesh’ in Sino-America trade talks and due to the PRC’s glaring inconsistencies associated with the pandemic.

My point was that both China and America are in agreement that zoonotic transfer was not the origin on Covid -19.

 

[Valcazar]

China is a corrupt totalitarian regime that has a hell of a lot to answer for with respect to Covid-19 and the pandemic.

Sure, but you said that Trump would use his declassified documents and the PRC's complicity to get leverage and I'm still not sure how you think that would work.

Or is it the idea that China's "reparations" would come in the form of preferential trade deals with the US?
And if so, how would that work?

China makes long term plans to achieve their goals and as such can wait out American four presidential terms, even if they are run by a moron POTUS like the current incumbent who exact his ”pound of flesh’ in Sino-America trade talks and due to the PRC’s glaring inconsistencies associated with the pandemic.

How is this "pound of flesh" supposed to be extracted?
This is the part that just seems to be you handwaving things.

My point was that both China and America are in agreement that zoonotic transfer was not the origin on Covid -19.

Right.
The fact that China has been keen on hiding all evidence of zoonotic transfer is pretty revealing.

 

[basketcase]

In the intelligence world...

Low Confidence
Low Confidence generally means that the source information’s credibility or plausibility is uncertain – that is, the source information is scant, questionable, fragmented, or poorly corroborated to the point where it is difficult to make solid analytic inferences. Low confidence could also indicate that the CIS CTI team has concerns with the reliability of the source data.

Words of Estimative Probability, Analytic Confidences, and Structured Analytic Techniques

MS-ISAC Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) products leverage specific verbiage to express uncertainties associated with analytical assessments.

www.cisecurity.org

 

[lomotil]

Sure, but you said that Trump would use his declassified documents and the PRC's complicity to get leverage and I'm still not sure how you think that would work.

Or is it the idea that China's "reparations" would come in the form of preferential trade deals with the US?
And if so, how would that work?





How is this "pound of flesh" supposed to be extracted?
This is the part that just seems to be you handwaving things.



Right.
The fact that China has been keen on hiding all evidence of zoonotic transfer is pretty revealing.

China is now the world’s number one economy and through their “Silk Road “ undertaking and innovation has built and continues to build global infrastructure in places like Africa, South and Central America and Eastern Eunope as America becomes increasingly isolationist.
Trump’s recent aggressive annexation talk could be a response to China’s growth internationally.
China does not like egregious and bombastic displays of their prowess, is media reticent and doesn’t want negative attention such as Trump continued use of the “ China virus” verbal weaponization to keep them in the spotlight and if Trump starts declassifying documents which might illustrate China’s culpability in the Covid-19 pandemic, not only America might ask for compensation but other countries might follow like a Canadian Poilievre government, with compensation coming in the form of trade concessions.
China can attempt to wait Trump out as he has 48 months to go whereas the CPC is continuous. It is Trump’s “ hand waving” that China fears.

If China believed that zoonotic transfers was the cause of the Covid-19 pandemic than they would not have allowed the wet markets to reopen. The PRC has attempted to destroy all of their evidence on their ill advised, reckless and irresponsible research on infecting human cells with Covid viruses. Chinese physicians were strictly forbidden to discuss anything regarding the pandemic and still are. Perhaps Trump has some of this evidence ?

 

[lomotil]

And he's still smarter than you're average Democrat and Liberal voter.

Every vote is equal. Are you in favour of ending the election process and having one party rule, the party of your choice based on their supposed intellectual superiority ?

 

[basketcase]

China is now the world’s number one economy and through their “Silk Road “ undertaking and innovation has built and continues to build global infrastructure in places like Africa, South and Central America and Eastern Eunope as America becomes increasingly isolationist.
...

My first thought when Trump announced his freeze on aid was that China couldn't have asked for much better.

 

[Valcazar]

In the intelligence world...

Low Confidence
Low Confidence generally means that the source information’s credibility or plausibility is uncertain – that is, the source information is scant, questionable, fragmented, or poorly corroborated to the point where it is difficult to make solid analytic inferences. Low confidence could also indicate that the CIS CTI team has concerns with the reliability of the source data.

Words of Estimative Probability, Analytic Confidences, and Structured Analytic Techniques

MS-ISAC Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) products leverage specific verbiage to express uncertainties associated with analytical assessments.

www.cisecurity.org

Which is why it makes sense that the agencies that have weighed in (in either direction) have been clustered in the "Low Confidence" zone. (And that others have said they can't even reach that level.)