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Comment by Mark Lowenthal

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Former Assistant Director of Central Intelligence for Analysis and Production and former Vice Chairman for Evaluation at the National Intelligence Council
Because the Chinese will not give us access to the information that we need. If they gave us the kind of access that Mr. Feith was talking about, if they gave us samples, if they gave us access to the records. And you will never be sure with the Chinese whether they are giving you the access that you want. We are never going to be able to say with a high degree of certainty.
AI Verified (Apr 18, 2023)
Source:
Mark Lowenthal, testimony in "Investigating the Origins of COVID. Part 2: China and the Available Intelligence," House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing, April 18, 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: the quote is directly about why it is hard to determine whether COVID came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and in the same testimony Lowenthal says there is insufficient intelligence to make a firm judgment between natural origin and lab activity and that China’s lack of transparency may prevent certainty. That makes an abstention/uncertainty stance on the complete statement substantially more likely. ([govinfo.gov](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-118hhrg51891/html/CHRG-118hhrg51891.htm)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 2h ago
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AI Verified He is explicitly undecided, not pro-lab-origin: in his opening statement he says there has "not been sufficient intelligence to date to make a firm judgment" whether COVID "occurred naturally or was the result of activity in the lab," and the quoted answer adds, "We are never going to be able to say with a high degree of certainty." ([govinfo.gov](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-118hhrg51891/html/CHRG-118hhrg51891.htm)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 2h ago

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Quote authenticity comments

AI Verified The GovInfo transcript of the April 18, 2023 House hearing "Investigating the Origins of COVID. Part 2: China and the Available Intelligence" contains this passage verbatim at lines 1781-1787 and attributes it to "Mr. Lowenthal"; the hearing date and the submitted source URL also match, so the stored author, date, content, and source are correct. ([govinfo.gov](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-118hhrg51891/html/CHRG-118hhrg51891.htm)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 2h ago
replying to Mark Lowenthal