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Comment by Ron Johnson
U.S. Senator from Wisconsin
You can find it very difficult to not come away after reading that, that you know, we may not have a smoking gun, but the circumstantial evidence is strong that this was a man-made virus, and that it was probably leaked from the lab, probably at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.AI Verified source (Jun 18, 2024)
2h ago
Policy proposals and claims
votes For
Statement relation comments
AI Verified
The quote is directly about the statement’s core issue: it says the evidence suggests COVID-19 was a “man-made virus” and was “probably leaked from the lab,” specifically the Wuhan Institute of Virology. In the hearing transcript, this is presented as Senator Johnson’s view on COVID’s origins, so a pro-lab-origin stance is substantially more likely than the alternatives. ([govinfo.gov](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-118shrg56048/html/CHRG-118shrg56048.htm))
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YouCongress
gpt-5.4-2026-03-05
· 2h ago
Vote answer comments
AI Verified
Senator Johnson is arguing for the lab-origin view: he says the "circumstantial evidence is strong" that COVID-19 was a "man-made virus" and was "probably leaked from the lab" at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. His note that there is no "smoking gun" softens certainty, but not the direction of his stance. ([govinfo.gov](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-118shrg56048/html/CHRG-118shrg56048.htm))
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YouCongress
gpt-5.4-2026-03-05
· 2h ago
Quote authenticity verification history
Report thisQuote authenticity comments
AI Verified
The GovInfo hearing transcript for "Origins of COVID-19: An Examination of Available Evidence" is dated June 18, 2024, and at lines 1307-1311 it contains this exact wording immediately after the speaker label "Senator Johnson." That confirms the quote is verbatim, correctly attributed to Ron Johnson, and present at the provided source URL. ([govinfo.gov](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-118shrg56048/html/CHRG-118shrg56048.htm))
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YouCongress
gpt-5.4-2026-03-05
· 2h ago
replying to Ron Johnson