Thread by @Doc_0

It is beyond amazing that anyone who isn't on Beijing's payroll still wants to give China any "benefit of the doubt" re: lab leak. They've been caught concealing and destroying evidence dozens of times. Why would they do that if the origin of Covid-19 was natural?

The greatest hunt in history for the animal that spread a zoonotic disease has turned up nothing after three years of effort by an authoritarian regime that claims to be vastly more efficient and meticulous than any democracy - but you still want to default to that theory?

It's not just that all of the circumstantial evidence points to lab leak, while virtually the only "evidence" for natural origin is that the DNA of Covid-19 supposedly doesn't look like other engineered viruses from previous experiments.

It's that the primary suspect in laboratory leak has a long and well-documented history of destroying and falsifying evidence. There was even a moment when China tried to muddy the waters on natural origin because the Commies were embarrassed by the wet markets.

You've got a suspect with an unbroken lifetime history of pathological lying, you've repeatedly caught them tampering with evidence in this case, they have strong motives to scuttle the investigation, they would BENEFIT FROM TRANSPARENCY if they weren't guilty...

... and oh, yeah, they constantly intimidate and threaten everyone investigating the case. But you want to keep giving them the benefit of the doubt? You still think there's a scenario where China is innocent, but those lovable Commie goofballs just couldn't help acting guilty?

The correct course of action is to presume guilt and proceed accordingly after China's many attempts to stymie the investigation, not only because it's logical to assume they would be more helpful if they weren't guilty, but because presuming innocence REWARDS THEIR OBFUSCATION.

And this isn't just about scoring points, correcting the historical record, etc. It's relevant for the FUTURE. Everyone says they want to do everything possible to avoid future pandemics, right? Western leaders are demanding we sacrifice freedom and sovereignty for the effort.

Well, how can any future anti-pandemic effort be serious if the top suspect in the intentional or negligent release of the world-ravaging Covid-19 pandemic is indulged in obstructing investigations and destroying evidence? Everything else is pure theater if THAT precedent stands.

The next pandemic will probably come from China, and on the off chance it's from somewhere else, it will probably originate on the turf of an authoritarian regime, junta, or insurgency. All would have the same motives as China to obstruct investigations and destroy evidence.

We can't just let this go, or shrug and say "heck, every theory is 'low-confidence' so let's just go with the scenario Beijing is willing to accept because they're too powerful, stubborn, and malevolent to argue with." We must not tolerate guilty behavior and secrecy.

An authoritarian regime gets away with blocking investigations of probable lab origins for a deadly pandemic that crippled our economy - and the lesson is that free nations must become more authoritarian to deal with future outbreaks?

If that's the outcome of all this, why wouldn't China do it again, as soon as possible - absolutely on purpose this time? Why would they behave any differently in the next pandemic, no matter what its origins, if obfuscation and destroying evidence worked out just fine?

China demands a leadership role in the "world pandemic authority" that is taking shape. They'll likely get it, one way or the other - they're good at subverting international agencies. The hoods who destroyed evidence will end up running the Global Virus Cops. Irrational lunacy.

And if you're understandably interested in potential U.S. funding for the lab leaked research, that's all the more reason to demand relentless investigations - and to question the judgement of any "expert" that still insists on defaulting to natural origins. /end