Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) pushed back on a suggestion by Fox News host Maria Bartiromo that the U.S. government had funded the creation of the Covid-19 virus.
"I want to get your thoughts on the headlines this morning about China and this continued funding from the NIH to the EcoHealth Alliance and [President] Peter Daszak," Bartiromo told Turner. "Apparently, the NIH is giving more money through EcoHealth to study bat coronavirus!"
"We've been there before," she continued. "And there was no accountability. Joe Biden has yet to bring up the origins of Covid with Xi Jinping and he's going to meet with him in November. What are you going to do about this? Should we be funding from the NIH bat coronavirus through the EcoHealth Alliance and Peter Daszak? Didn't he just fund Covid-19?"
"Well, you know, I wouldn't go that far," Turner replied, shooting down the theory. "But I would say this. This is certainly irresponsible. And this administration clearly doesn't understand that these types of research projects can result in a threat directly to the United States."
