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Comment by Rich McCormick

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U.S. Representative (R-Georgia)
I agree with your initial assumption, Dr. Garry, that most likely it came from a lab, and I think that's where the evidence has continued to point. [...] But we can stop gain-of-function research when we admit that that's where the disease came from.
AI Verified (Jul 11, 2023)
Source:
Rich McCormick, remarks in "Investigating the Proximal Origin of a Cover-Up," House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing, July 11, 2023.
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Policy proposals and claims
COVID-19 originated from a lab-related incident rather than natural zoonotic spillover
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Statement relation comments

AI Verified Relevant: in context, McCormick first rejects the animal-origin account (saying "my natural conclusion is, it didn't come from there") and then says COVID "most likely ... came from a lab" and that officials should admit "that's where the disease came from." That is directly on the statement’s lab-vs-zoonotic origin question and gives a determinate stance signal. ([govinfo.gov](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-118hhrg53002/html/CHRG-118hhrg53002.htm)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 2h ago
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AI Verified He explicitly says his "natural conclusion" is that COVID "most likely ... came from a lab" and that the evidence has "continued to point" there; in context he is rejecting the animal-spillover explanation, so his stance is support for lab-related origin over zoonotic spillover. ([govinfo.gov](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-118hhrg53002/html/CHRG-118hhrg53002.htm)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 2h ago

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AI Verified The official GovInfo transcript for the July 11, 2023 hearing contains the submitted quote at the source URL: the transcript identifies Dr. McCormick as the speaker immediately before these remarks, and both submitted segments appear verbatim in lines 2391-2407, with only intervening text omitted by the submitter’s [...]. Official House materials for the same hearing also identify him as Rep. Rich McCormick. No correction is needed. ([govinfo.gov](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-118hhrg53002/html/CHRG-118hhrg53002.htm)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 2h ago
replying to Rich McCormick