Coronavirus Bombshell: Merkel and Scholz Kept It Secret from Us for Years

The West Coronavirus Bombshell: Merkel and Scholz Kept It Secret from Us for Years Marcel Görmann • 15 hrs. • 4 mins read The German government has supposedly been informed for five years – but nothing was said to the public! The theory that the devastating coronavirus originated in a laboratory has been circulating around the world since the outbreak of the pandemic. Now, everything seems to be confirmed. Apparently, the Chancellery under Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz knew about it, but didn't disclose it to the public. What the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" and "Die Zeit" published on Wednesday (March 12) is a real bombshell. The need to convene a Corona committee of inquiry in the new legislative period seems even more urgent. Findings about Covid-19 Were Kept Secret for Years The joint investigation by "SZ" and "Zeit" concludes that the Chancellor and the Chancellor kept the findings of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) under lock and key. The German foreign intelligence service had already informed the then-Chancellor of the laboratory findings in 2020. Olaf Scholz declined to comment on Wednesday's "Tagesschau" broadcast. Deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann told journalists that they had taken note of the reporting. However, they could not comment on intelligence findings and activities. Meanwhile, Angela Merkel's office responded to a "Tagesspiegel" inquiry about whether the former Chancellor had concealed information from the public at the time. A spokeswoman stated: "Former Chancellor Dr. Merkel fundamentally rejects the accusation formulated in your question." Health Minister Karl Lauterbach and his predecessor Jens Spahn told "Bild" that they had no knowledge of the BND findings. Corona bombshell: BND 80-95 percent convinced of laboratory theory According to the BND, the global pandemic was most likely the result of a laboratory accident in Wuhan, China. The German intelligence agency also relies on non-public data, some of which was obtained through intelligence resources. The operation was codenamed "Saaremaa." The intelligence agency assesses the laboratory theory with a probability of 80 to 95 percent. The evidence is that convincing. The Chinese, however, claim that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was naturally transmitted from animals, possibly martens, to humans. They point to the wildlife market in Wuhan as a possible place of origin. As the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" reports, the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) commissioned a panel of experts to evaluate the available data at the beginning of the year. Not all researchers involved in the BND panel are equally convinced that the virus clearly originated in a laboratory. Some see the probability of a man-made pandemic originating from the institute steadily increasing, but have yet to commit to one. The well-known virologist Christian Drosten expressed his growing skepticism about the previous Chinese explanation in January, because there is currently no scientific evidence for a natural origin. In the "taz" newspaper, Drosten said: "Chinese scientists have all the technical capabilities for this." He had also expected such studies – but they haven't materialized. The more time passes, the more skeptical he becomes. "Does state policy prohibit work on this? Perhaps. The other explanation, however, would be that there was no natural virus at all." CIA Changes Assessment Under Trump Under Donald Trump, there has been no coronavirus reversal in the US either. The new director of the US foreign intelligence agency, John Ratcliffe, changed his agency's assessment of the origin of the coronavirus in January as one of his first official acts. Based on the available reports, a laboratory origin of the COVID-19 pandemic is more likely than a natural origin, he said. However, there are considerable uncertainties surrounding this assessment, and work is ongoing to investigate the origin. Ratcliffe has previously advocated the laboratory theory and accused Beijing of concealing the virus's origin. Politicians from the FDP and the Greens demand clarity FDP deputy leader Wolfgang Kubicki expressed outrage at the revelations by the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" and "Spiegel." "The federal government has demonstrably left the German public and parliament in the dark," he told the "Tagesspiegel." Kubicki also blamed current Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach for this. Lauterbach should therefore not be part of a new government.