The findings contradict earlier statements by Biden officials, including then-national security advisor John Kirby, who denied any knowledge of infections among U.S. military participants in the Wuhan World Military Games. The games took place near the controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology, where gain-of-function research—partly funded by U.S. institutions—was being conducted on coronavirus strains.

Experts like Rutgers professor Richard Ebright and lawmakers such as Sen. Joni Ernst have expressed outrage over the delay in releasing the report. They argue it adds significant weight to the theory that COVID-19 may have begun spreading months earlier than officially acknowledged—and not at a wet market, as initially claimed. Critics now demand full transparency and accountability for the information being kept from the public.