Kept from FBI till the last moment
EXCLUSIVE: High-Ranking Chinese Defector Has ‘Direct Knowledge’ of Several Chinese Special Weapons Programs
Knowledge of the defector was kept from FBI, Langley due to potential compromise of those agencies.
Background:
Trump Officials Are Said to Press Spies to Link Virus and Wuhan Labs (Published 2020)
Some analysts are worried that the pressure from senior officials could distort assessments about the coronavirus and be used as a weapon in an escalating battle with China.
The Defense Intelligence Agency recently changed its analytic position to formally leave open the possibility of a theory of lab origin, officials said. Senior agency officials have asked analysts to take a closer look at the labs.
The reason for the change is unclear, but some officials attributed it to the intelligence analyzed in recent weeks. Others took a more jaundiced view: that the agency is trying to curry favor with White House officials. A spokesman for the agency, James M. Kudla, disputed that characterization. “It’s not D.I.A.’s role to make policy decisions or value judgments — and we do not,” he said.