However, the failure to previously disclose this conclusion was troubling. For years, scientists faced censorship for even raising the lab theory as a possible explanation for the virus. Their reputations and careers were shredded by a media flash mob. The Washington Post declared this a “debunked” coronavirus “conspiracy theory.” The New York Times’ Science and Health reporter Apoorva Mandavilli was calling any mention of the lab theory as “racist.”

When a Chinese researcher told Fox News that this was man-made, the network was attacked and the left-leaning PolitiFact slammed her gave her a “pants on fire rating.”

The social media companies censored thousands of postings to prevent the very discussion of the theory. An alliance of academic, media, and government forces aligned to prevent this — and other debates on Covid — from taking place.

The FBI was part of that general censorship effort.

[Yes, their hands are not at all clean on this point. It does raise the question, however, as to why Wray is making this case so explicit now. It may be part of an effort at the FBI to break free of the politicization that has become toxic for their reputation, and made explicit by the Twitter Files especially. I have more on that in a different context next hour. — Ed]