Roger Marshall, the COVID-19 origins OG

Daniel Desrochers

In August 2021, Sen. Roger Marshall donned a white lab coat and stood in front of a green screen for 12 minutes as the Kansas Republican tried to explain why he thought it was important to get to the bottom of the origin of COVID-19.

This week, reports by the Department of Energy and the FBI breathed brought the issue back to the forefront, when both agencies said they believed the virus originally leaked accidentally from a virology lab in Wuhan, China. The reports were different from the belief of other agencies and independent researchers that the virus originated naturally.

Throughout the pandemic there have been two predominant theories about the origin of the virus. The original theory was that the virus occurred naturally and jumped from bats to humans, possibly with another animal in between. The other is that the virus leaked from a virology lab in Wuhan.

Scientists have largely said that they aren’t certain how the virus started — the DOE had low confidence in its assessment and the FBI said it has moderate confidence in its assessment — which is common, it can take a long time to nail down the origin of a virus.

On Wednesday, Marshall repeated his call for a nonpartisan congressional committee modeled after the 9/11 Commission to investigate the origins of COVID-19. He was particularly emphatic about the need to depoliticize the committee.

“I think it would be better to take it out of Washington,” Marshall said. “It is impossible to do anything up here, it seems like, without politics being involved. Heck, I would do it in Kansas City. I would take it out of the limelight, turn the cameras off and let these people do some work.”

But throughout the call, Marshall highlighted why the issue has become politicized in the first place. He railed against Dr. Anthony Fauci, who was the face of the federal response to the virus, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He dismissed mask and vaccine mandates and said the government’s response was dogmatic.

He even stated his personal belief about the origin of the virus, going farther than any agency, to assert without evidence that an investigation would show it was created through controversial research “funded with American taxpayer dollars by Dr. Fauci, by the NIH, by the Department of Defense and by the State Department even.”

Marshall’s comments illustrate the challenges of explaining science to a broader audience.

Scientists are constantly challenging their assumptions. The scientific method is built around coming up with an idea and then spending your time attempting to prove that idea wrong. That means scientific knowledge often evolves as the experts get more evidence and learn more.

That’s difficult in the rather rigid world of politics, particularly during a pandemic where people are frightened and seeking answers.

But the call for more information is bipartisan.

Democratic senators co-sponsored Marshall’s bill to create a non-partisan commission. And a bill filed by Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, and Sen. Mike Braun, an Indiana Republican, that would declassify government information about the Wuhan Virology Lab in relation to COVID-19 easily passed the Senate.

More from Missouri

There are currently 16 million Americans who are waiting to get up to $20,000 of their student loan debt forgiven. Their hopes could hinge on whether the U.S. Supreme Court believes that Missouri had enough legal standing to sue on behalf of MOHELA, the state-created student loan program.

Here are headlines from across the state:

And across Kansas

The Kansas Legislature remains cautions about the prospect of legalizing medicinal marijuana even as many other states have embraced recreational sales. Opponents of the legislation argued in a Kansas Senate committee on Wednesday that legalizing the drug for medicinal purposes would lead to the legalization of recreational cannabis. They pointed to Missouri, where voters legalized the drug for recreational purposes four years after legalizing it for medical purposes.

The latest from Kansas City

In Kansas City …

Have a news tip? Send it along to ddesrochers@kcstar.com

Odds and ends

ESG

The Senate passed a bill 50-46 on Wednesday that disapproved of a Biden administration rule making it easier for investors to consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts when deciding where to invest money.

As younger investors have expressed concern over which companies they support with their money, investment firms offer “socially responsible” investment packages, where they grade companies using ESG metrics. They then offer packages that include investments in the companies that score best.

Republicans oppose this type of investment, saying it’s an attempt to inject liberal politics into businesses.

Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Missouri Republican who signed onto the resolution opposing President Joe Biden’s rule, said it was a way for investors to virtue signal.

“I will always prioritize the best interests of hardworking Missourians over the demands of climate activists,” Schmitt said in his press release.

Two Democrats, Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, voted with the Republicans to help pass the bill.

Biden has said he will veto it.

Schmitt at CPAC

Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Missouri Republican, made a speech at CPAC Thursday night where he expressed concern about the administrative state.

“That is a vague term,” Schmitt said, “but it is a grave threat to your livelihood.”

CPAC is an annual gathering of conservative activists that has long served as a platform for Republicans with their eyes on the presidency. This year’s crowd appeared particularly loyal to former President Donald Trump, who will be speaking on Saturday.

He argued that bureaucrats had too much power in Washington, while tossing out references to several issues that have been discussed among the conservative base — like a recent report about whether the government should step in to regulate gas stoves because of harmful affects they may have on people’s health.

Schmitt received mostly polite applause, but got a more enthusiastic reception when he highlighted the lawsuits he filed as Attorney General of Missouri — like his push against mask and vaccine mandates.

China and farmland

In 2013, Missouri lawmakers passed a bill that made it easier for foreign companies to invest in farmland, paving the way for a Chinese company to purchase Smithfield foods. At the time, it was seen as something that would help boost the state’s economy.

Decades later the politics have changed. China is seen as a rising threat to the United States, and Republicans are staking out tough-on-China political positions to appeal to their base. Missouri lawmakers are currently trying to make it illegal for foreign companies to own farmland in Missouri and are receiving push back from industry groups.

The effort has reached the federal government too. Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, signed onto a bipartisan bill that would prevent China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from investing in American farmland.

“Kansas plays a crucial role in producing food for the American people, and we cannot allow malign actors to disrupt or manipulate these supply chains by taking possession of farms, ranches or the agriculture industry,” Moran said. “This legislation would help protect our national security, ensure the rightful ownership of American land and maintain vital food production for our nation.”

Eric Adams and China

New York City Mayor Eric Adams seems to have it out for Kansas.

Last year, Adams accused Kansas of having “no brand.” Then this week he used Topeka as a frame of reference while calling himself the God-anointed mayor of the country’s biggest city.

“God said, ‘I’m going to take the most broken person and I’m going to elevate him to the place of being the mayor of the most powerful city on the globe,’” Adams said. “He could have made me the mayor of Topeka, Kansas. He could have made me the mayor of some small town or village somewhere.”

His statement annoyed Kansans. The mayor of Topeka, Michael Padilla, told the New York Times that Adams needed to learn some humility.

Adams, though, at least seems to be giving Kansas another brand: the state that has to keep responding to his mindless comments.

Happy Friday

Read this about how movie theaters are struggling to do even the basics. Try making this cocktail from D.C.’s oldest running hotel. Here’s some jazz.

Enjoy your weekend.

Daniel Desrochers is the Star’s Washington, D.C. Correspondent
Daniel Desrochers is the Star’s Washington, D.C. Correspondent

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