May 28, 2021
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Speaker Pelosi:
We request that you instruct the appropriate Democrat committee chairs to immediately
join Republican calls to hold the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) accountable for its role in
causing the global COVID-19 pandemic. There is mounting evidence the pandemic started in a
Chinese lab, and the CCP covered it up. If that is the case, the CCP is responsible for the deaths
of almost 600,000 Americans and millions more worldwide. These questions about the CCP’s
liability are not a diversion, as you falsely claimed.1 To the contrary, every American family that
lost someone deserves answers about the origin of this terrible virus, and House Democrats’
ongoing refusal to allocate investigative resources to get those answers is an affront to them.
Repeatedly, House Republicans called for a full investigation to address the CCP’s
complicity in obscuring the origins of COVID-19. Repeatedly, our requests were ignored.
Instead, House Democrats pursued a radical left-wing agenda that is pushing the economy
toward the highest inflation rates since 1979. Indeed, in March 2020, Democrat Whip James
Clyburn set the tone when he told House Democrats the pandemic represented “a tremendous
opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision.”2 Now, more than one year later, Democrats
have a record of pushing partisan extremist priorities with no connection to COVID-19 relief,
while alarmingly shielding the CCP from scrutiny. After more than a year of inaction in light of
mounting evidence against the CCP, it raises serious questions as to why House Democrats
continue to cover for the CCP’s lies and obfuscation.
The CCP admitted to “firmly oppos[ing] certain countries’ attempts to . . . hold China
accountable.”3 House Republicans have rejected the CCP’s position with respect to cooperating
with an outside investigation. As Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jim Jordan said back on
July 2, 2020, “[I]f [the CCP] had told us earlier, lots more people would be alive today in our
country and around the world. [But] for some reason, the majority doesn’t want to look at that
1
Mike Lillis, Pelosi: Trump’s focus on China an ‘interesting diversion’, THE HILL, May 14, 2020,
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/497871-pelosi-trumps-focus-on-china-is-an-interesting-diversion.
2
Mike Lillis & Scott Wong, House Democrats eyeing much broader Phase 3 stimulus, THE HILL, Mar. 19, 2020,
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/488543-house-democrats-eyeing-much-broader-phase-3-stimulus.
3
Ken Moritsugu, China outlines COVID-origin findings, ahead of WHO report, ASSOC. PRESS, Mar. 26, 2021,
https://apnews.com/article/beijing-coronavirus-pandemic-wuhan-china-united-nations-
fa8eb66bfa6dd4cb7aef962159276fcf.
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
May 28, 2021
Page 2
fundamental issue.”4 To hold the CCP accountable, however, we need access to the full range of
tools available to congressional investigators, including subpoenas for documents and the power
to compel key witnesses to give testimony. To date, Democrat committee chairs throughout the
House are refusing to allocate those resources for questioning about the origins of the COVID-19
virus.
This investigation is more urgent now considering the recent report that, according to
U.S. intelligence sources, three researchers from China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV)
became ill and sought hospital care in November 2019, a full month before the CCP publicly
reported any COVID-19 cases.5 Although House Democrats have been mum on this new
evidence, it certainly got the attention of the Biden Administration, which appears to share the
concerns of House Republicans about the CCP’s role in the pandemic. For instance, a
spokesperson for the National Security Council said, “[w]e continue to have serious questions
about the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its origins within the [CCP].”6 The
calls for a full and complete investigation of the CCP’s role, however, are not limited to
President Biden’s National Security Council:
• Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra said, “we have to understand
how COVID-19 surfaced, we have to understand how it spread so we can try to make
sure we are prepared for next time” and “[a] COVID origins study must be launched…to
fully assess the source of the virus and the early days of the outbreak.”7
• Chief Medical Advisor to President Biden Dr. Anthony Fauci, when asked if he was
confident COVID-19 developed naturally, said, “no actually, I am not convinced about
that, I think we should . . . investigate what went on in China.”8
Finding answers to the questions that Secretary Beccera and Dr. Fauci raised will be
difficult. The CCP has made it clear that key evidence is not forthcoming. In fact, since the
beginning of the pandemic, the CCP has proactively misled the world about COVID-19. One of
the possible origins, the WIV, has never shared any raw data, safety logs, or lab records on its
4
The Administration’s Efforts to Procure, Stockpile, And Distribute Critical Supplies: Hearing Before Select
Subcomm. on the Coronavirus Crisis, H. Comm. on Oversight & Reform, 116th Cong. (July 2, 2020) (statement by
Hon. Jim Jordan).
5
Michael R. Gordon, et. al., Intelligence on Sick Staff at Wuhan Lab Fuels Debate on Covid-19 Origin, WALL ST. J.
(May 23, 2021), https://www.wsj.com/articles/intelligence-on-sick-staff-at-wuhan-lab-fuels-debate-on-covid-19-
origin-11621796228.
6
Id.
7
The Fiscal Year 2022 HHS Budget: Hearing Before H. Comm. on Energy and Commerce, 117th Cong. (May 12,
2021) (statement by Xavier Becerra, Sec’y, Dep’t of Health & Human Servs.); Joseph Choi, Becerra calls for
‘transparent’ investigation into COVID-19 origins, The Hill (May 25, 2021),
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/555211-becerra-investigation-into-covid-19-origins-must-be-
transparent.
8
Morgan Phillips, Fauci ‘not convinced’ COVID-19 developed naturally, FOX NEWS (May 23, 2021),
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fauci-not-convinced-covid-19-developed-naturally.
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
May 28, 2021
Page 3
work pertaining to coronaviruses.9 This follows a similar pattern of deception by the CCP for the
past year. The CCP has:
• coordinated with health officials to conceal the origins and spread of COVID-19;10
• led propaganda campaigns to pass the blame for COVID-19 to other countries, including
the United States;11
• silenced and censored COVID-19 whistleblowers, researchers, physicians, and
scientists;12
• threatened U.S. elected officials, including Members of the House;13 and
• expelled American journalists.14
It is also clear the World Health Organization (WHO) is not up to the task of
investigating these questions. On May 19, 2020, member nations directed the WHO to “identify
the . . . source” of COVID-19.15 On March 30, 2021, the WHO released a report that was
undermined by the CCP’s ability to influence the underlying investigation. The CCP had full
veto power over inclusion of American scientists; vetoed the three Americans put forward by the
U.S. government; designed the mission’s itinerary and refused access to Chinese scientists and
raw data; and had full power to edit and alter the final report.16
9
Gordan, supra note 5.
10
Nick Wadhams & Jennifer Jacobs, China Concealed Extent of Virus outbreak, U.S. Intelligence Says,
BLOOMBERG (Apr. 1, 2020), https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-01/china-concealed-extent-of-
virus-outbreak-u-s-intelligence-
says?utm_source=twitter&utm_content=business&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow-
organic&cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&__twitter_impression=true.
11
Insikt Group, Chinese State Media Seeks to Influence International Perceptions of COVID-19 Pandemic,
RECORDED FUTURE (Mar. 30, 2020), https://www.recordedfuture.com/covid-19-chinese-media-influence/.
12
Brendon Hong, China Arrested Doctors Who Warned About Coronavirus Outbreak. Now Death Toll’s Rising,
Stocks Are Plunging, DAILY BEAST (Feb. 3, 2020), https://www.thedailybeast.com/china-arrested-doctors-who-
warned-about-coronavirus-outbreak-now-death-tolls-rising-stocks-are-plunging; Tobias Hoonhout, Chinese
Authorities Gagged Laboratories in December over Coronavirus-SARS Connection, NAT’L REVIEW (Mar. 17,
2020), https://www.nationalreview.com/news/chinese-authorities-gagged-laboratories-in-december-over-
coronavirus-sars-connection/.
13
Paul Shinkman, China Threatens to Sanction U.S. Politicians for Coronavirus Criticism, U.S. NEWS (May 14,
2020), https://www.usnews.com/news/world-report/articles/2020-05-14/china-threatens-to-sanction-us-politicians-
for-coronavirus-criticism.
14
Tony Munroe, et. al., China expels American journalists as spat with U.S. escalates, REUTERS (Mar. 17, 2020),
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-media/china-expels-american-journalists-as-spat-with-u-s-escalates-
idUSKBN2143AN.
15
News Release, WHO calls for further studies, data on origin of SARS-CoV-2 virus, reiterates that all hypotheses
remain open, WORLD HEALTH ORG. (Mar. 30, 2021), https://www.who.int/news/item/30-03-2021-who-calls-for-
further-studies-data-on-origin-of-sars-cov-2-virus-reiterates-that-all-hypotheses-remain-open.
16
Drew Hinshaw, et. al., WHO Report Into Covid-19 Origins Leaves Key Questions Unanswered, WALL ST. J. (Mar.
29, 2021), https://www.wsj.com/articles/who-report-into-covid-19-origins-leaves-key-questions-unanswered-
11617027920.
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
May 28, 2021
Page 4
The WHO’s inability to conduct a review that yielded meaningful findings makes the
need for a bipartisan congressional investigation more acute. The concerns about the WHO’s
investigation are not isolated to House Republicans—several Biden Administration officials
raised similar questions about the reliability of the WHO’s report and called for an independent
investigation:
• Chief Medical Advisor to President Biden Dr. Anthony Fauci said, “[t]here was a lot of
restrictions on the ability of the people who went there to really take a look . . . [I] have
some considerable concerns about that.”17
• After the WHO said a laboratory accident was “extremely unlikely,” Director of National
Intelligence Avril Haines said, “that is not [the Biden Administration’s] assessment.”18
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated, “[w]e’ve got real concerns about the
methodology and the process that went into [the WHO] report, including the fact that the
government in Beijing apparently helped write it.”19
It is clear the WHO failed to produce the final word on the origins of the COVID-19
pandemic and the CCP’s liability. That task falls to us in Congress. House Republicans have
consistently called on you to uncover this truth. It is time you join this battle.
We hope House Democrats will abandon their partisan agenda and join House
Republicans’ investigation into the origins of COVID-19. This is one of the most important
questions we face. Thank you for your attention to this urgent request.
Sincerely,
______________________ ______________________ ______________________
Kevin McCarthy Steve Scalise Elise Stefanik
House Republican Leader House Republican Whip House Conference Chair
17
Transcript: Anthony Fauci on “Face the Nation”, CBS NEWS (Mar. 28, 2021),
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/transcript-anthony-fauci-on-face-the-nation-march-28-2021/.
18
Bill Gertz, DNI Avril Haines knocks WHO report that dismissed theory COVID-19 escaped from lab, WASH.
EXAMINER (Apr. 15, 2021), https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/apr/15/avril-haines-william-burns-rip-
who-report-covid-19/.
19
Javier Hernandez, The U.S. is concerned about China’s influence over a report on the pandemic’s origins, N.Y.
TIMES (Mar. 29, 2021), https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/29/world/the-us-is-concerned-about-chinas-influence-
over-a-report-on-the-pandemics-origins.html.
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
May 28, 2021
Page 5
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Tom Emmer Mike Johnson Richard Hudson
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Gary Palmer Glenn Thompson Kay Granger
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Mike Rogers Jason Smith Virginia Foxx
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Jackie Walorski Patrick McHenry Michael McCaul
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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John Katko Rodney Davis David Schweikert
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Jim Jordan Bruce Westerman James Comer
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Devin Nunes Tom Cole Frank Lucas
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Garret Graves William Timmons Blaine Luetkemeyer
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Sam Graves Mike Bost Kevin Brady
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Robert Aderholt Rick W. Allen Mark Amodei
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
May 28, 2021
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Kelly Armstrong Jodey Arrington Brian Babin
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Don Bacon Jim Baird Troy Balderson
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Jim Banks Andy Barr Cliff Bentz
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Jack Bergman Stephanie Bice Andy Biggs
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Gus Bilirakis Dan Bishop Lauren Boebert
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Mo Brooks Vern Buchanan Ken Buck
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Larry Bucshon Ted Budd Tim Burchett
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Michael C. Burgess M.D. Ken Calvert Kat Cammack
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Jerry Carl John Carter Buddy Carter
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Madison Cawthorn Steve Chabot Liz Cheney
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
May 28, 2021
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Ben Cline Michael Cloud Andrew Clyde
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Rick Crawford Dan Crenshaw John Curtis
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Warren Davidson Scott DesJarlais Mario Diaz-Balart
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Byron Donalds Jeff Duncan Neal Dunn
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Ron Estes Pat Fallon Randy Feenstra
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Drew Ferguson Michelle Fischbach Scott Fitzgerald
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Brian Fitzpatrick Chuck Fleischmann Jeff Fortenberry
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Scott Franklin Russ Fulcher Matt Gaetz
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Mike Gallagher Andrew Garbarino Mike Garcia
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Bob Gibbs Carlos Gimenez Louie Gohmert
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
May 28, 2021
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Tony Gonzales Anthony Gonzales Jenniffer González-Colón
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Bob Good Lance Gooden Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S.
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Mark Green Marjorie Taylor Greene Glenn Grothman
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Michael Guest Jim Hagedorn Andy Harris
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Diana Harshbarger Vicky Hartzler Kevin Hern
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Yvette Herrell Jaime Herrera Beutler Jody Hice
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Clay Higgins French Hill Ashley Hinson
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Trey Hollingsworth Bill Huizenga Darrell Issa
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Ronny L. Jackson Chris Jacobs Bill Johnson
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Dusty Johnson David Joyce John Joyce
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
May 28, 2021
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Fred Keller Mike Kelly Trent Kelly
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Young Kim David Kustoff Darin LaHood
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Doug LaMalfa Doug Lamborn Bob Latta
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Jake LaTurner Debbie Lesko Julia Letlow
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Billy Long Barry Loudermilk Nancy Mace
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ ________________________
Nicole Malliotakis Tracey Mann Brian Mast
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Lisa McClain Tom McClintock David McKinley
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Peter Meijer Dan Meuser Carol D. Miller
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Mary E. Miller Mariannette Miller-Meeks John Moolenaar
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Alex X. Mooney Barry Moore Blake Moore
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
May 28, 2021
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Markwayne Mullin Greg F. Murphy, M.D Troy Nehls
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Dan Newhouse Ralph Norman Jay Obernolte
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Burgess Owens Steve Palazzo Greg Pence
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Scott Perry August Pfluger Bill Posey
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Tom Reed Guy Reschenthaler Tom Rice
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Hal Rogers John Rose Matt Rosendale
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
_______________________ _________________________ _________________________
David Rouzer Chip Roy John H. Rutherford
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Maria Elvira Salazar Austin Scott Pete Sessions
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Mike Simpson Adrian Smith Christopher H. Smith
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Lloyd Smucker Victoria Spartz Pete Stauber
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
May 28, 2021
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Michelle Steel Bryan Steil Greg Steube
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Chris Stewart Van Taylor Claudia Tenney
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Tom Tiffany Mike Turner Fred Upton
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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David Valadao Jefferson Van Drew Beth Van Duyne
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Ann Wagner Tim Walberg Michael Waltz
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Randy Weber Daniel Webster Brad Wenstrup
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Roger Williams Joe Wilson Rob Wittman
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Steve Womack Don Young Lee Zeldin
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
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Adam Kinzinger Aumua Amata C. Radewagen
Member of Congress Member of Congress
