Sinclair set to air segment on conspiracy theory accusing Fauci of creating coronavirus
An interview pushing the conspiracy theory that Dr. Anthony Fauci helped manufacture the coronavirus is set to air all across the country. In a segment on Eric Bolling's program America This Week, controversial virologist Dr. Judy Mikovits said that she believes Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and President Trump's point person on the coronavirus pandemic, "paid for," "manufactured," and "shipped" the cell lines of the novel coronavirus to Wuhan, China. The episode was originally set to air this weekend, but Eric Bolling told the Washington Examiner on Saturday it will be delayed until next weekend so that the segment can be "reworked to provide better context." The episode was posted online, but it was taken down on Saturday amid increasing scrutiny.
In the segment, as it originally appeared, Mikovits and Larry Klayman, founder of Judicial Watch (a conservative watchdog group with which he has since cut ties) and Freedom Watch, were shown to be teaming up to pursue potential legal action against Fauci. They claim the virus originated at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland, a claim which has been echoed by Chinese state-run newspapers, deflecting the widely held belief that the coronavirus outbreak originated in Wuhan. Klayman argued Trump is going easy on China and that this may be the reason. Klayman also said COVID-19 was used by China as a bio-weapon, a claim which has been widely discredited. Throughout the segment, the large chyron at the bottom of the screen reads, "DID DR. FAUCI CREATE COVID-19?" During the segment, Bolling did not make a significant effort to combat the pair's claims but did call the accusation a "hefty" one. He told CNN that he was "shocked" that Mikovits made the claim. After the interview with Mikovits and Klayman, Bolling brought on Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and contributor for Fox News. Bolling says that Saphier was added for the "express purpose of debunking the conspiracy theory." Saphier rejected Mikovits's claims as "highly unlikely" and added, "I'm sure that there's gonna be some conspiracy theorists who like to hop on board with that; however, I'm not one of them."
It remains unclear how COVID-19 first spread to humans. The prevailing theory among U.S. spy agencies, a senior intelligence official told the Washington Examiner in May, is that the outbreak began with an accidental lab escape in Wuhan, China. Some health experts are skeptical of that explanation because the genetic sequences known to be studied at the lab do not match those of COVID-19. Ian Lipkin, the director of the Center for Infection and Immunity told the Washington Post, "I don’t see any evidence to support the idea that this was released deliberately or inadvertently." She added, "You can’t just say someone is guilty of accidentally releasing a virus. You have to prove it." Mikovits is viewed with skepticism among her colleagues. In a widely debunked video, Mikovits claimed that Fauci was responsible for millions of deaths during the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Among the other baseless claims she made was the idea that COVID-19 is "activated" by face masks. When asked by CNN if he knew about the video before taping the interview, Bolling insisted that he did not. When CNN followed up asking whether Bolling had second thoughts about airing the interview now that he knew about it, he said, at the time, "I don't second-guess my producers and bookers." Sinclair Broadcast Group is the TV news company that airs Bolling's show across its local stations. In a statement posted on Twitter on Saturday, Sinclair asserted that they did not endorse the claims of Mikovits. "We also interviewed a medical expert who debunked Dr. Mikovitz’s claims as conspiracy theories," it said. "We’re a supporter of free speech and a marketplace of ideas and viewpoints, even if incredibly controversial. We are incredibly aware of the dangers of COVID-19, and our stations across 81 markets have remained steadfast in covering their communities with a focus on safety and adherence to local protocols and regulations nationwide."
In recent weeks, many states have experienced a spike in cases of COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the United States now has more than 4 million reported cases of COVID-19 and just over 140,000 associated deaths. In response to recent spikes in infections across the country, some states and communities have decided to pause on their plans to reopen their economies. Klayman did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner's requests for comment.
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