Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Monday that evidence pointing to a laboratory origin for COVID-19 has accumulated over time, while no new evidence has emerged supporting the natural-spillover theory. He also criticized former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci for attempting to suppress dissenting views on the subject.
Gottlieb made his remarks during an appearance on CNBC's "Squawk Box," Where co-anchor Joe Kernen asked whether Fauci had orchestrated a cover-up of a possible lab origin due to his involvement in gain-of-function research in China.
"He knew that would come back to haunt him and then basically told his colleagues, go with the natural origin," Kernen said.
Gottlieb responded: "I think the evidence, in terms of whether this was human or naturally derived, I think the side of the ledger that speaks to this potentially coming out of a lab has grown over time, and we haven't had any new evidence suggesting that this came out of a natural origin or spillover."
When Kernen raised recently released material suggesting Fauci knew a lab origin was likely and took steps to have people destroy emails, Gottlieb said he had reviewed the correspondence. "I think it's disappointing to see him trying to suppress alternative opinions. And that clearly was evident from the emails," Gottlieb stated.
The comments came as Fauci faced renewed scrutiny over his pandemic-era communications following the release of additional documents. Gottlieb, a frequent CNBC contributor and former FDA commissioner under President Trump, has previously discussed the origins debate on the network.