Thread by @HansMahncke

1/ "China Pressured WHO Investigators to Dismiss the Lab Leak Theory"

Our latest on Truth over News with @themarketswork and myself.

2/ In January 2021, the WHO sent a team to Wuhan to investigate the origins of Covid-19.

After much fanfare, the team’s leader, Peter Ben Embarek announced at a February 9, 2021 press conference that the virus had a natural origin and that a lab leak was “extremely unlikely”.

3/ Embarek’s claims received almost immediate push-back from an unexpected source, World Health Organization director Tedros who – on February 12th – stated that all hypotheses in relation to the virus’ origin remained “on the table”.

4/ Two days later, Tedros’ push-back was followed by more push-back from another unlikely source, a fellow team member who had accompanied Embarek to Wuhan, British scientist John Watson.

5/ Watson stated that “there were restrictions in what we were able to do” and acknowledged that the WHO team had not been presented with all of the available information. But Embarek continued to push the natural origins narrative.

6/ During a March 30, 2021 WHO press conference Embarek also claimed that his Chinese counterparts had been highly cooperative during his investigation and that his team was never pressured to remove critical elements in their report.

7/ On May 2, 2021 former NYT science editor Nicholas Wade published an article laying out the case for a lab leak. The article was based on info uncovered by independent researchers a year earlier but his standing in the world of the corporate media was the breakthrough needed.

8/ On May 26, 2021, the Biden administration announced that it had initiated an expanded investigation into the origins of Covid-19.

The narrative tide had turned and Peter Embarek took note.

9/ In a June 2021 interview in his native Denmark, Embarek made a number of startling admissions.

That interview was only published recently as part of a documentary film on the virus mystery and has – unsurprisingly – received only scant attention from the media.

10/ Embarek’s interview is a game changer. In February 2021, Embarek had put the World Health Organization’s credibility – as well as his own professional reputation – on the line when he publicly claimed that a lab leak scenario was “extremely unlikely”.

Embarek lied.

11/ Embarek now admits that the lab leak is not only possible, it is likely.

Embarek suggested that a Chinese researcher could have been infected by a bat while taking samples in connection with research at a Wuhan lab.

12/ Even worse, Embarek now also says that Chinese scientists and officials withheld information and pressured him and the WHO team to drop the lab leak theory altogether. These comments are in stark contrast to those he made while still in China.

13/ Previously, Embarek claimed that the WHO had already taken a rational and objective approach to assessing lab leak and that no further investigation was necessary. He now says that a deal was struck between the WHO investigative team and their Chinese counterparts.

14/ The deal was that the lab leak theory could only be mentioned in the WHO’s final report if the report didn’t recommend any specific studies to further that hypothesis and also on condition that the possibility of a leak was determined to be "extremely unlikely."

15/ Embarek's now admits that “It probably means there’s a human error behind such an event, and they’re not very happy to admit that.” And despite his earlier claims of full cooperation, he now says that “China doesn’t allow for those sorts of things to be said out loud.”

16/ When was asked about his new revelations, Embarek claimed that his comments were “mistranslated”. But his words are there for all to see. Embarek said what he said. The likely origin of the Coronavirus pandemic is a lab in Wuhan.