Late Monday, President Biden relented and signed into law a resolution (passed unanimously in Congress) ordering the director of national intelligence to declassify what’s known about the origins of COVID-19. But, predictably, the liberal media weren’t entirely on board as Tuesday’s CBS Mornings ignored this story and instead featured segments such as this creepy bit with co-host and Democratic donor Gayle and actor D.B. Woodside.
In contrast, ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s Today combined for two minutes and 31 seconds on the resolution becoming law, first proposed by Senators Mike Braun (R-IN) and Josh Hawley (R-MO).
Prior to this, ABC hadn’t acknowledged it on their flagship morning and evening shows with only 13 seconds after the House’s passage on CBS Weekend News with NBC clocking in at 46 seconds across NBC Nightly News and Today.
Good Morning America featured senior White House correspondent Mary Bruce, so there was naturally plenty of Biden spin.
After fill-in co-host Whit Johnson noted the bill was unanimous, Bruce went to work offering the spin from the people who were basically her unofficial colleagues and neglecting the fact that the President was dragged into supporting such a measure:
[T]he President says he’s hoping to release as much information about this as possible. Biden signing into law this legislation that would require the release of U.S. intelligence related to the origins of COVID-19. Biden saying he’s hoping to get to the bottom of this to help prevent any future pandemic.
Bruce explained how DNI Avril Haines will have “90 days to declassify all information about any potential links between that lab in Wuhan, China, and the origins of COVID, including the names and symptoms of any researchers there that may have become ill, but it is not clear exactly how much new information we’re going to learn here, because it is likely there will be some redactions for sensitive material.”
To again cover for the administration, she concluded by reminding viewers that there’s “a real split on” where COVID came from.
NBC chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander was on the case for Today, stating that Biden will graciously “give Americans the chance to see for themselves the intelligence that the U.S. has gathered on how COVID-19 started” by “signing that bipartisan bill into law.”
Alexander also had caveats: “The President here saying that he wants to be as transparent as possible about the pandemic’s origins, but he also notably acknowledges the need to protect against anything that could harm national security.”
He also downplayed the importance of transparency for the American people because “[t]he U.S. intelligence community, as we have heard, is split about COVID’s origins.”
However, he at least gave one reason why a confirmed lab leak why would a huge deal: “[I]f COVID came from a Chinese lab, it would only further break down these already strained relations between the U.S. and China....China has repeatedly blocked global efforts to try to figure out exactly where COVID-19 began.”
CBS being asleep at the wheel was made possible thanks to advertisers such as AARP and Ashley HomeStore. Follow the links to see their contact information at the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
To see the relevant transcripts from March 21, click “expand.”
ABC’s Good Morning America
March 21, 2023
7:15 a.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: New This Morning; Declassifying Intelligence on COVID Origins; President Biden Signs Bipartisan Bill to Release Information]
WHIT JOHNSON: Now to the latest on the origins of COVID-19. President Biden signing a bill Monday that directs the government to declassify material on the source of the deadly virus. The bill passed the House and the Senate unanimously. Senior White House correspondent Mary Bruce has more on that story. Mary, good morning.
MARY BRUCE: Good morning, Whit. Yeah, the President says he’s hoping to release as much information about this as possible. Biden signing into law this legislation that would require the release of U.S. intelligence related to the origins of COVID-19. Biden saying he’s hoping to get to the bottom of this to help prevent any future pandemic. So, here’s how this works. The director of national intelligence has 90 days to declassify all information about any potential links between that lab in Wuhan, China, and the origins of COVID, including the names and symptoms of any researchers there that may have become ill, but it is not clear exactly how much new information we’re going to learn here, because it is likely there will be some redactions for sensitive material. All of this, of course, comes as we’ve seen a real split on this issue. Intelligence agencies are at odds about whether COVID was likely caused by a lab leak or a natural transmission, Robin.
ROBIN ROBERTS: We’ll see. All right, Mary, thanks so much.
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NBC’s Today
March 21, 2023
8:05 a.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Biden Signs Bill on COVID Origins]
SHEINELLE JONES: President Biden signed a bill yesterday that directs the federal government to declassify information about the origins of COVID-19. NBC’s chief White House correspondent and Weekend Today co-anchor Peter Alexander joins us with more. Peter, good morning.
PETER ALEXANDER: Hey, Sheinelle, good morning. So, this new move by President Biden is going to give Americans the chance to see for themselves the intelligence that the U.S. has gathered on how COVID-19 started. The President signing that bipartisan bill into law on Monday. It gives the nation’s top intelligence director — the director of national intelligence — 90 days to declassify most information, detailing potential links between China’s Wuhan lab and the COVID outbreak. The President here saying that he wants to be as transparent as possible about the pandemic’s origins, but he also notably acknowledges the need to protect against anything that could harm national security. The U.S. intelligence community, as we have heard, is split about COVID’s origins. You have the Department of Energy and FBI — they recently said it was likely a lab leak. Other agencies have said it may have started naturally. And all of this matters because, if COVID came from a Chinese lab, it would only further break down these already strained relations between the U.S. and China. Sheinelle, China has repeatedly blocked global efforts to try to figure out exactly where COVID-19 began.
JONES: All right. Peter, thank you.
