WATCH: Biden Starts Talking To Reporters On WH Lawn — Then Peels Off After Shouted COVID Leak Questions
President Joe Biden started to engage reporters on his way out of the White House — but changed his mind as shouted questions about the origins of COVID flew his way.
The Department of Energy’s “low-confidence” assessment that the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated via a lab leak and subsequent comments by FBI Director Christopher Wray in a Fox News interview have reignited interest in the disputed theory — as has the Chinese government’s lack of transparency and cooperation in investigating the origins.
But President Biden seemed to be in no mood to discuss the issue Friday afternoon as he made his way out of the White House to board Marine One en route to Delaware for the weekend.
According to the pool reporter, Biden began to engage reporters, responding to a question about American detainee Paul Whelan, but then peeled off when the shouted questions began:
Biden changes his mind about taking questions pic.twitter.com/SjcHXPK3Mn
— Tommy moderna-vaX-Topher (@tommyxtopher) March 4, 2023
In town pool report #11 / Marine One departure
POTUS came over very briefly, saying about Paul Whelan: “we’re pushing.”
He then seemed ready to make a statement or engage further. As he approached the group, there was a shouted question about Covid origins. POTUS then put both hands up in a shrug, seeming annoyed, and then turned and walked away toward Marine One.
Marine One lifted at 3:47pm
Handing off to out of town pool, with a last note from WH about those traveling with POTUS on Marine One en route to JBA:
Steve Ricchetti, Assistant to the President & Counselor to the President
Terry Wolff, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for MENA
Wray told Fox’s Bret Baier “The origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan,” and that “The FBI has folks…who focus specifically on the dangers of biological threats, which include things like novel viruses like Covid. And the concerns that they’re in the wrong hands — some bad guys, a hostile nation-state a terrorist or criminal — the threats that those could pose. So here you’re talking about a potential leak from a Chinese government-controlled lab that killed millions of Americans and that’s precisely what that capability was designed for.”
