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House subcommittee accidentally releases COVID-19 origins documents

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House Republicans on the subcommittee looking into the origins of COVID-19 appear to have accidentally released new documents related to their investigation. The documents shed light on deliberations among the scientists who drafted an article that played a key role in defending the theory that the virus emerged naturally.

The article was released in March 2020 in the journal “Nature.” While it concludes that COVID-19 was not a laboratory construct or a purposely manipulated virus, screenshots of emails and Slack messages between the authors of the article show they believed a lab escape was “in fact highly likely.”

Cropped versions of the screenshots were just some of the documents in a subcommittee report that was the subject of a COVID-19 origins hearing this week. The report with cropped screenshots was originally created using Microsoft Word, with Word retaining the uncropped screenshots even after they were cropped and made into a PDF. This allowed Twitter sleuths and news agencies to extract the uncropped versions of the screenshots from the report.

“Cropped parts of the picture are not removed from the file, and can potentially be seen by others; including search engines if the cropped image is posted online,” Microsoft warns on its website. “If there is sensitive information in the area you’re cropping out make sure you delete the cropped areas… then save the file.”

Much of the hearing this week focused on a critical few days in early February 2020, beginning with a conference call that included the Nature article’s authors and Dr. Anthony Fauci. Later minutes showed the consensus among the experts leaned toward a lab escape theory.

However, within days the authors were circulating a draft of the Nature article that came to the opposite conclusion. How and why that rapid turnaround occurred has been the subject of much debate and interrogation.

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HOUSE REPUBLICANS ON THE SUBCOMMITTEE LOOKING INTO THE ORIGINS OF COVID-19 APPEAR TO HAVE ACCIDENTALLY RELEASED NEW DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THEIR INVESTIGATION.
THE DOCUMENTS SHED LIGHT ON DELIBERATIONS AMONG THE SCIENTISTS WHO DRAFTED AN ARTICLE THAT PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN DEFENDING THE THEORY THAT COVID EMERGED NATURALLY.
THE ARTICLE WAS RELEASED IN MARCH OF 20-20 IN THE JOURNAL “NATURE”
WHILE IT CONCLUDES THAT COVID-19 WAS NOT A LABORATORY CONSTRUCT OR A PURPOSELY MANIPULATED VIRUS — SCREENSHOTS OF EMAILS AND SLACK MESSAGES BETWEEN THE AUTHORS OF THE ARTICLE SHOWS THEY BELIEVED A LAB ESCAPE WAS QUOTE “HIGHLY LIKELY.”
CROPPED VERSIONS OF THE SCREENSHOTS WERE INCLUDED IN A SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT THAT WAS THE SUBJECT OF A HEARING THIS WEEK.
THE REPORT WITH CROPPED SCREENSHOTS WAS ORIGINALLY CREATED USING MICROSOFT WORD — BUT WORD RETAINED THE UNCROPPED SCREENSHOTS — EVEN AFTER THEY WERE CROPPED AND MADE INTO A P-D-F.
THIS ALLOWED TWITTER SLEUTHS AND NEWS AGENCIES TO EXTRACT THE UNCROPPED VERSIONS OF THE SCREENSHOTS FROM THE REPORT P-D-F.
ON ITS WEBSITE — MICROSOFT WARNS THAT WHEN WORKING WITH IMAGES ON WORD — QUOTE “CROPPED PARTS OF THE PICTURE ARE NOT REMOVED FROM THE FILE, AND CAN POTENTIALLY BE SEEN BY OTHERS; INCLUDING SEARCH ENGINES IF THE CROPPED IMAGE IS POSTED ONLINE.
IF THERE IS SENSITIVE INFORMATION IN THE AREA YOU’RE CROPPING OUT MAKE SURE YOU DELETE THE CROPPED AREAS — THEN SAVE THE FILE.”
MUCH OF THE HEARING THIS WEEK FOCUSED ON A CRITICAL FEW DAYS IN EARLY FEBRUARY OF 2020 — BEGINNING WITH A CONFERENCE CALL THAT INCLUDED THE NATURE ARTICLE’S AUTHORS AND DOCTOR ANTHONY FAUCI.
LATER MINUTES SHOWED THE CONSENSUS AMONG THE EXPERTS LEANED TOWARD A LAB ESCAPE THEORY.
YET WITHIN DAYS — THEY WERE CIRCULATING A DRAFT OF THE NATURE ARTICLE THAT CAME TO THE OPPOSITE CONCLUSION.
HOW AND WHY THAT RAPID TURNAROUND OCCURRED HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF MUCH DEBATE AND INTERROGATION.