The FBI and CDC neglected to thoroughly investigate a California biolab operated by Chinese nationals containing deadly transmissible pathogens, according to a new report.
Released by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party on Wednesday, the findings reveal how Chinese nationals have been conducting experiments on several deadly pathogens in a Reedley, California, biolab under the discretion of a Chinese man connected to Beijing’s communist government.
“This report outlines troublesome gaps that exist in federal law that allow bad actors to take advantage of the system,” Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., whose district includes Reedley, said in a statement. “It is my hope no other town in any Congressional district will endure what my constituents have through this experience.”
The whole scandal began to unravel in December 2022 when Jesalyn Harper, a local code enforcement officer, noticed a building code violation outside the facility. Upon gaining access, Harper discovered the warehouse was actually a laboratory being operated by self-professed Chinese nationals. In the lab, Harper noticed vials containing biological substances — one of which was HIV — labeled in Mandarin, English, and an undeciphered code. She also discovered 1,000 genetically modified lab mice, later found to have been “bred to simulate the human immune system for the purpose of laboratory experimentation.”
Following her walkthrough, Harper referred the matter to Fresno County and the FBI for further investigation. Two months later, the federal agency notified Harper it had closed its inquiry “because the Bureau believed that there were no weapons
