China says it's "extremely unlikely" that COVID-19​ came from a lab, after the CIA said it believed​, though with low confidence, that it did, rather than from natural transmission.

Former CIA Director John Ratcliffe sparked controversy after making a statement suggesting that COVID-19 may have originated in a lab in China. His remarks have ignited a wave of shock and debate across the U.

The US Senate confirmed China hawk John Ratcliffe as the next director of the CIA on Thursday after Democrats had stalled his final floor vote — further setting back the timeline for consideration of President Trump’s other cabinet officials.

The problem for the lab-leak position is that the U.S. has never had access to the Wuhan lab and has thus been unable to reach a definitive answer for more than five years. Now that the CIA has at last come to a conclusion, not all scientists are sold on what it has reported, seeing the results as thinly scientifically sourced.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe warned his agents of "changes" to come under his leadership in a memo obtained by Fox News Digital.

The Senate confirmed John Ratcliffe, former director of national intelligence, as head of the CIA on Thursday by a 74-25 vote. In November, then-President-elect Donald Trump announced his selection of Ratcliffe as the next director of the intelligence agency.

Newly-confirmed CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News the decision to release a Biden-era analysis favoring the COVID-19 lab leak theory is a step toward transparency.

A new analysis that began under the Biden administration is released by the C.I.A.’s new director, John Ratcliffe, who wants the agency to get “off the sidelines” in the debate.

Not a speck of evidence has emerged showing that the COVID virus leaked from a Chinese lab. So why does a just-released CIA statement claim that it did? Blame politics.

Former Texas Congressman and ex-director of national intelligence assumes CIA leadership amid bipartisan Senate approval - Anadolu Ajansı

Cotton's pitch comes after the CIA switched its view on the origins of COVID-19 to the belief it likely originated from a Chinese lab leak.

The US Senate confirmed China hawk John Ratcliffe as the next director of the CIA on Thursday after Democrats had stalled his final floor vote — further setting back the timeline for ...