Pompeo Says U.S. Scientists Denied Access to China to Probe Origins of Coronavirus

Mike Pompeo is accusing China of allegedly not giving access to American scientists and researchers for the purpose of examining and exploring the root of the coronavirus outbreak, slamming Beijing yet again for the way it handled the crisis.

In Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle on Wednesday the U.S. State Secretary alleged that China is denying American scientists “the transparency and openness we need” referring to the pandemic originating in Wuhan.

Pompeo has been among the most vocal critics of China over COVID-19, echoing President Donald Trump’s attacks on Beijing and peddling a conspiracy theory suggesting the virus may have originated in a scientific research lab in Wuhan. There is currently no evidence to support the theory, but this has not stopped Pompeo and Trump from alluding to it, as reported by Newsweek.

“Even today, the Chinese government hasn’t permitted American scientists to go into China, to go into not only the Wuhan lab but wherever it needs to go to learn about this virus, to learn about its origins,” Pompeo said.

Pompeo did not detail requests by U.S. scientists to visit China. Newsweek has contacted the State Department and the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C. for clarification on any blocked visits.

Local officials in Wuhan and the central government in Beijing have been accused of suppressing early reports of the outbreak and failing to inform the World Health Organization (WHO) and other nations about the severity and scale of the novel coronavirus threat. Beijing is also alleged to have underreported the number of deaths from the outbreak.

China has dismissed American criticism as an effort to divert attention from Trump’s bungling of the crisis. The President’s messaging on the virus has been confused and contradictory, while he has repeatedly clashed with governors and scientific experts.

Trump initially suggested—without evidence—that the virus would soon dissipate in the U.S., and lauded China’s response to the outbreak. He also touted his close relationship with President Xi Jinping, and cited a conversation with the Chinese leader to argue that COVID-19 would disappear as the U.S. moved into warmer months.