Ted Cruz Swats WaPo Fact Checker Over Wuhan Lab Leak Flip-Flop

The Washington Post’s fact-checker Glenn Kessler is out with a piece today on how the Wuhan lab leak theory has “suddenly became credible,” as we reported earlier.

Fact Checker | Timeline: How the Wuhan lab-leak theory suddenly became credible https://t.co/rA8oJbQajT

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 25, 2021

But what’s missing out of the story, as he retells it, are a couple of things.

First, the fact that it was always a credible theory — the media just didn’t want to recognize it. The media was very reluctant to investigate or even touch the story that the Wuhan coronavirus might have come as a result of a lab leak. The media was invested in trying to blame the spread of the virus on President Donald Trump and they didn’t want anything else to intrude on their effort — like actually holding China accountable for what was already known about them trying to cover up the virus. It’s scandalous that the media and Democrats took that tack, rather than demanding more facts from China and getting behind a full investigation into the question. Even now, as we pointed out, apparently Joe Biden is leaving it in the hand of the World Health Organization to investigate, the same WHO that has shown it can’t be trusted on the subject. It’s not clear that there’s a concurrent Biden investigation going on.

Second, Kessler leaves out of his new story and timeline his own part in claiming that the lab theory was “doubtful.”

More than 1.6 million views—-> Did coronavirus accidentally escape from a Wuhan lab? It’s doubtful. | The Fact Checker – YouTube https://t.co/JDxVECQqeO

— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) May 2, 2020

He even attacked Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), claiming the lab leak theory was “virtually impossible.”

I fear @tedcruz missed the scientific animation in the video that shows how it is virtually impossible for this virus jump from the lab. Or the many interviews with actual scientists. We deal in facts, and viewers can judge for themselves. https://t.co/TprMnaHSZL

— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) May 1, 2020

Now, he owes him a big apology.

As we reported, new evidence is showing that there’s more reason to believe it, with multiple researchers from Wuhan Virology Institute coming down with illness in Nov. 2019 that required hospital care.

But there was evidence to suggest it at the time, as Cruz pointed out.

1/x “Amazing” is definitely right word for this video. WaPo “abandoning all pretenses of journalism to produce CCP propaganda” would be another way to put it. If this reporter submitted this video in a freshman logic class, it wouldn’t receive a passing grade. Let’s review facts. https://t.co/IWjl5kIlMq

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 1, 2020

2/x FACT 1: WaPo admits two separate labs in Wuhan were studying coronaviruses derived from bats. One lab was just 300 yards from Wuhan wet market. FACT 2: WaPo admits bats with similar coronaviruses “live in caves 1000 miles away.” FACT 3: WaPo admits both labs had SERIOUS…

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 1, 2020

3/x …safety concerns, resulting in multiple US Dept wires—before this crisis—warning that shoddy safety protocols could lead to a global coronavirus pandemic. FACT 4: WaPo admits China DESTROYED the lab samples after the pandemic started (raising the natural inference…

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 1, 2020

4/x …that they were afraid what the samples, if examined, would show. ALL OF THESE FACTS strongly suggest the virus escaped from one of these CCP labs. At this point, the evidence is circumstantial (because the CCP is hiding/blocking any direct evidence). BUT what is WaPo’s…

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 1, 2020

5/x…conclusion? “The balance of scientific evidence strongly suggest the conclusion that the new coronavirus emerged from nature, be it in the Wuhan market or somewhere else.” This is a non sequitur. None of the aforementioned evidence leads to that conclusion. What’s WaPo’s…

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 1, 2020

6/x…basis? WaPo COUNTER-FACT ONE: The CCP and the lab director (who initially wrote “could [the pandemic virus] have come from our lab?”) now deny it. “Shi, her team & the Chinese govt have adamantly denied that it could have come from this lab.” WaPa takes that denial as true.

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 1, 2020

7/x WaPo COUNTER-FACT TWO: They quote Dr. Peter Daszak, the head of “EcoHealth Alliance” as saying “China’s been incredibly open. I believe it’s because it’s a scientific collaboration & in China they’re really proud of their science; they do good work, especially in virology.”

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 1, 2020

8/x That’s it. Those two counter-facts form 100% of the basis for WaPo’s “fact check.” And #2, the claim that “China’s been incredibly open,” is laughably absurd. They DESTROYED THE LAB SAMPLES. They PUNISHED & SILENCED the pandemic whistleblowers. And who is this objective…

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 1, 2020

9/x …source, Dr. Daszak? Well, his organization, “EcoHealth Alliance” was receiving (now cancelled) US taxpayer $$ to support bat coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology! Why does WaPo NOT disclose his enormous bias, litigation exposure & conflict of interest??

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 1, 2020

10/x And is it relevant that WaPo is owned by Jeff Bezos, the richest man in the world, who stands to make billions in China if he pleases the communist overlords? Whatever WaPo is doing, this is NOT journalism. It is apologizing for the CCP, trying to cover up their culpability.

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 1, 2020

I also pointed out at the time, in response to Kessler’s dig at Cruz, that Kessler might want to have a conversation with the intel community.

Then you may want to have a conversation with the intel community who agrees that it might have accidentally stemmed from the lab.

— Dr. Nickarama (@nickaramaOG) May 1, 2020

Indeed, the intelligence community agreed with Cruz that it was a possibility because they were investigating it at the time. They obviously didn’t think it was “virtually impossible.” Whether they are still looking at it under Biden is a good question.

Cruz had one simple response, decimating Kessler’s effort to paper over all the facts today.