CBP intercepted biological materials tied to U.S.–China virus network before COVID, new documents show

By Fox News · Fox News

Sen. Rand Paul , R-Ky., has released another batch of documents related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest records show that U.S. officials intercepted undeclared biological materials tied to a U.S.– China coronavirus research network as early as 2018, likely in an attempt to avoid international tensions and regulatory scrutiny, Paul said. The documents, which include a Department of Homeland Security intelligence report, primarily focus on a network centered around University of Minnesota virologist Fang Li. SLACK MESSAGES RELEASED BY RAND PAUL APPEAR TO SHOW AUTHORS OF KEY COVID-19 ORIGIN PAPER HELD PRIVATE DOUBTS In the years leading up to the pandemic, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) intercepted undeclared biological materials tied to this network of American and Chinese coronavirus researchers centered around Li, whose lab has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Paul stated in a news release. In April 2018, Zhengli Shi, a scientist at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), asked Li to have a student transport antibodies for SARS research from the United States back to China . Li told Shi that was not a good idea, given the "current tension between the USA and China," according to the documents. He suggested another scientist ship the antibodies instead. CALIFORNIA MAYOR ACCUSED OF SECRETLY WORKING FOR CHINA, SPREADING PROPAGANDA WHILE IN OFFICE: FEDS In October of that same year, Qibin Geng, a student in Fang Li's lab, offered to send live PEDV—a swine coronavirus—along with a growth protocol to Ralph Baric, a prominent American researcher. Geng requested Baric's shipping address for the live virus. Geng had previously earned a degree from an institution affiliated with China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), but did not disclose any military service or affiliation on his visa application. In November 2018, CBP agents at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport intercepted three undeclared vials concealed in paper towels and wax…