Professor calls Republicans demanding investigation into coronavirus 'racist'

In a tweet posted on March 18, a professor at Virginia Tech called Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee “f***ing racist a**holes.” 

Matthew Gabriele, who is a professor of Medieval Studies and Chair of the Department of Religion and Culture at Virginia, made the remark in a tweet responding to Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), and Brett Guthrie’s (R-KY) recent statement calling for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to perform “an independent, expert investigation of the origin of COVID-19.”

A proper inquiry, the lawmakers insisted, “is of paramount importance to public health and biosecurity.” 

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Gabriele has not yet responded to Campus Reform’s request for comment on his tweet, but shortly after he was contacted he shared “analysis” articles from The Washington Post, USA Today, and the New York Times blaming Republicans for the reported spike in anti-Asian American bias. 

The first case of the coronavirus in the United States was confirmed in January 2020 when it was reported that a man recently returning to Washington State from Wuhan, China was treated for a mild case of pneumonia at the Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett.

Discussing the origins of the virus on May 3, 2020, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said “I can tell you that there is a significant amount of evidence that [COVID-19] came from a laboratory in Wuhan.” Secretary Pompeo was referring to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), which the World Health Organization ruled out as the cause of the coronavirus. 

National security officials in the Biden administration have said recently, however, that the WHO’s investigation of the WIV was likely compromised by the Chinese Communist Party. 

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”We have deep concerns about the way in which the early findings of the COVID-19 investigation were communicated and questions about the process used to reach them,” said White House National security adviser Jake Sullivan on February 13, “it is imperative that this report be independent, with expert findings free from intervention or alteration by the Chinese government.” 

”To better understand this pandemic and prepare for the next one, China must make available its data from the earliest days of the outbreak,” he continued, “Going forward, all countries, including China, should participate in a transparent and robust process for preventing and responding to health emergencies --so that the world learns as much as possible as soon as possible.” 

Follow the author of this article: Dion J. Pierre