Democrats Accuse Expert Witness at COVID Origin Hearing of Racist Views

Nicholas Wade, a British scientist journalist and author who is widely regarded as one of the foremost authorities investigating the possibility that COVID-19 was derived from a laboratory leak in China. He was called to testify by the Republicans at the first Subcommittee on Coronavirus Pandemic Hearing on March 8.

His presence drew the ire of several Democrats—including Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-N.M.), the subcommittee’s ranking Democrat—who accused Wade of having racist views that will hurt “the credibility of this hearing.”

Wade’s 2014 book, “A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History,” This article examines race’s genetic makeup and argues that human evolution in recent times has led to racial disparities in social and economic behavior.

Ruiz stated during the hearing, that racism motivated the book.

“Today’s hearing marks a concerning step down the path of letting extremism get in the way of an inquiry that should be led by science and facts,” Ruiz said.

“When House Republicans announced this hearing with their slate of hand-picked witnesses, I was alarmed to see someone who wrote a book applauded by white supremacists,” Ruiz added.

Ruiz pointed out that Wade had been invited by Ruiz to a subcommittee meeting. “so as not to give legitimacy to a man of such discredited, unscientific, and harmful views.”

“The notion that people of different racial or ethnic groups are more successful or intellectually superior to another because of predisposed genetic makeup is grossly inconsistent with the consensus of scientific and medical scholarship,” Ruiz said.

“These views are dangerous and have no place in a hearing examining the origins of a pandemic that has disproportionately and overwhelmingly harmed communities of color in the United States,” Ruiz continued.

“There is still time for this select subcommittee to change course to reject extreme partisan rhetoric, discard conspiratorial accusations and work constructively to save lives,” Ruiz added. “The American people deserve nothing less.”

When it was originally called the Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, when created by Nancy Pelosi (D.Calif.), the initial purpose of the panel was to monitor the Trump administration’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak.

In January 2023, the House was taken back by the Republicans. The Subcommittee of Coronavirus Pandemic was created and is responsible for investigating the origins of COVID-19.

Brad Wenstrup (R – Ohio) chairs the subcommittee.

Wenstrup reminded Ruiz, after he had finished his opening remarks. “was informed of our witnesses seven days ago yet objected this morning.”

“Now I understand that they had some problems getting their witness because of COVID, but we just received who their witness was today,” Wenstrup is now available.

A former New York Times science editor, Wade also served as editor of two of the world’s most prominent science journals—Nature and Science. Wenstrup stated that Wade was invited to testify because of his credentials.

“So we will proceed, and I think that we will proceed and I expect that our witnesses will proceed and stick to the topic at hand today, as opposed to trying to deviate from it,” Wenstrup spoke.

‘Non-Racist Book’

Wade defends his past and calls Ruiz’s remarks a misunderstanding when he is given the chance to speak. “distraction.”

“I think I should briefly try to respond to the attempt by ranking member Ruiz to discredit my testimony by saying a number of untrue things about the book I wrote 10 years ago on the biology of race. This was a determinedly non-racist book,” Wade said.

“It has no scientific errors that I am aware of. It has no racist statements, and it stresses the theme of unity that we are all variations on the same human genome,” Wade continued.

“My book was vigorously attacked by obscurantist academics who want everyone else to believe that there is no biological basis to race. And my book was as welcome to them as pictures of the Earth from space are to flat-earthers.

“My book has nothing to shame me about.” Wade said. “This is the only site you have access to information about the human genome and the different races. It is a good thing that Ruiz, should he ever read it, would be pleased to discover that it does not contain any of the statements he claimed it did.”

As an independent journalist, Wade in May 2021 wrote a 10,000-word article on Medium titled “What is the origin of COVID? Did nature or people open Pandora’s box in Wuhan, China?”

In the piece, Wade questioned coronavirus origins and provided details that suggested it could have leaked out of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

For three years, the answer to where and how COVID-19 originated has been unknown.

During his opening statement, Wenstrup described the subcommittee’s purpose.

‘Where Did COVID-19 Come From?’

“Our task is to examine all effects and decisions that were made during the pandemic.

“However, we are here today at our first hearing to ask the fundamental question that this body … failed to ask three years ago. Where did COVID-19 come from?” Wenstrup spoke.

“Did it come from a natural spillover transferred from a bat to an intermediate source to a human? In other words, did it come from nature? Or was it the result of a laboratory or research-related accident, in other words, that come from a lab?” He concluded.

“This question is fundamental to helping us predict and prevent future pandemics, protecting our health and national security, and preparing the United States for the future,” Wenstrup continued.

This subcommittee is responsible for conducting “an investigation based on facts, expert opinions, and without intentional or unintentional bias,” Wenstrup explained.

“That is what the select subcommittee is tasked to do. Follow the facts, conduct a fair investigation, and seek to deliver the truth to the American people.”

Under President Donald Trump, Dr. Robert Redfield was the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Wade invited him as one of the three witnesses. Jamie Metzl was a senior fellow with Atlantic Council. He is also a former State Department official.

On the invitation of Democrats, Dr. Paul Auwaerter testified as the clinical director of an infectious diseases section at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Ruiz asked Redfield to confirm that Wade was indeed a credible witness.

“I do think that Nicholas Wade—and I’ve followed his work over 30 years—is an outstanding science reporter and contributed substantially both in natural science and, of course, leading the New York Times.”

At the March 8 hearing, discussion focused on the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s role in the pandemic. Gain-of-function research was funded by National Institutes of Health. Dr. Anthony Fauci tried to discredit the Lab-Leak Theory by other officials. China also obstructed and obfuscated the proceedings.

‘Steeped’ In Racism

However, Wade was disapproved of by more Democrats during the hearing.

Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) spent the majority of his time criticizing Wade, claiming his theories regarding COVID-19’s history are incorrect. “steeped” • In racism

“I’m a bit appalled that this hearing now gets layered over with the issue of race in a very strong way with the presence of Mr. Wade. And Mr. Wade I have read your book and I’m appalled by it,” Mfume told Wade, “I hope you are happy,” before he said that Wade was his favorite. “that giving you this platform” This does not diminish the value of “the issue that we’re trying to get to.”

“You’re not a physician, you are not a physician’s assistant. You’re not a scientist, you have never done a peer-reviewed paper and yet you’ve got an opinion, which is fine, except that it’s steeped in this conspiracy theory that somehow other minorities are so genetically different that they are culpable in some sort of way. I don’t like that,” Mfume stated.

Mfume also mentioned that David Duke, a former leader of the KKK, was among them “says that he really endorses your position on blacks and Jews” Wade’s book “has been promoted on the neo-Nazi forum that is linked to almost 100 racially motivated, attempted murders over the last five years.”

“I don’t want to take away from this hearing. I don’t want to take away from what I said earlier, we’ve got to go down both paths, but it just burns me that I would know that I’m doing that on a forum where somebody with these sorts of beliefs is also a part of,” Mfume stated.

Wade’s belief that COVID-19 may have been leaked from Wuhan Institute of Virology did not get addressed directly by Ruiz and Mfume or other Democrats.

Redfield eagerly shared his knowledge.

Redfield explained to the subcommittee that evidence currently exists that supports the idea that COVID-19 was created in a Chinese lab.

“From the earliest days of the pandemic, my view was both theories about the origin of COVID-19 needed to be aggressively and thoroughly examined.

“Based on my initial analysis of the data, I came to believe—and I still believe today—that it indicates that COVID-19 more likely was the result of an accidental lab leak than a result of a natural spillover event,” Redfield said in his opening remarks.

“The biology of the virus is the main factor in this conclusion. This includes the high rate of infection for human-to–human transmission. [the] rapid evolution of new variants—as well as a number of other important factors, which also include the unusual actions in and around Wuhan in the fall of 2019, all of which I am happy to discuss today,” Redfield added.