FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday avoided specifics when he was grilled by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., about the bureau’s investigation of the possibility that the coronavirus escaped from a Chinese lab or perhaps was even manipulated by the Chinese government, but said his agency is doing a “deeper dive” on the theory.
Gaetz – who is under investigation by the FBI for sex trafficking, allegations he strongly denies – specifically pressed Wray on the FBI’s interactions with Chinese scientist Li-Meng Yan during a House Judiciary Committee hearing. Gaetz said the FBI seized Yan’s phone when she arrived in the United States on April 28, 2020, and sought to interview her on multiple occasions in connection with the origin of the coronavirus.
Yan is a whistleblower who’s spoken publicly, including to Fox News, on the coronavirus and the alleged cover-up of the virus’ origins by the Chinese government.
“On April 28, Dr. Li-Meng Yan landed at LAX. One of your agents interviewed her at that time, she then traveled to New York. Your agent from Los Angeles followed her to New York and sought an interview on both the first of May and second of May in 2020,” and the FBI took Yan’s phone, Gaetz said.