Newly confirmed CIA director John Ratcliffe previewed what the agency will look like going forward under his leadership, including preventing it from becoming partisan toward specific candidates. Ratcliffe was confirmed on Thursday as the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency,

It was unclear the extent to which the agency has collected new intelligence on COVID-19's origins and whether that new evidence was used to formulate the latest assessment.

The Central Intelligence Agency said the COVID-19 pandemic “more likely” originated from a lab leak than a natural source, shifting its stance after previously saying both scenarios were

Critics immediately tore into the former intel boss, with one calling him a “pathetic liar” about the laptop’s provenance.

An ex-CIA analyst pleaded guilty to leaking top secret documents about Israel’s plans to retaliate against Iran last year, forcing the attack to be delayed.

Ratcliffe, 59, is the first person to have served as both director of national intelligence and chief of the CIA.

The US spy agency points the finger at China while acknowledging it has "low confidence" in its own conclusion, which is based on fresh analysis of intelligence about the spread of the virus.

New CIA Director John Ratcliffe ordered the covid origins analysis declassified, which a spokesperson described as a “low-confidence” assessment.

The CIA shifts its stance, suggesting a lab leak is more likely the cause of COVID-19 than natural origins. The reassessment has significant international implications.