A new report out from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party reveals how several federal agencies failed to properly investigate an illegal biolab in Reedley, California. The lab was run by a Chinese fugitive named Jesse Zhu with ties to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
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“A subsequent investigation revealed that the laboratory was operated by a wanted fugitive from Canada, who is a PRC citizen,” the report said. “The said fugitive had previously stolen millions of dollars of intellectual property from American companies and was part of an ongoing transnational criminal enterprise with ties to the PRC for which he was ultimately charged in federal court.”
The biolab contained at least 20 potentially infectious agents — including HIV, tuberculosis, E. coli and malaria — found in vials. Hundreds of lab mice genetically engineered to catch and carry the COVID-19 virus were also found.
House committee members are criticizing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the FBI and other agencies for failing to properly investigate the lab.
The report said that local officials informed the CDC about their concerns, but the CDC declined to test any of the lab’s pathogen samples.
“The CDC’s refusal to test any potential pathogens with the understanding that local officials would otherwise have to destroy the samples makes it impossible for the committee to fully assess the potential risks posed to the community,” the report said.
