>>1019266The original video post which Romney and others have attacked:
Gabbard’s concern about the pathogens being released in Ukraine is also shared by Pentagon officials involved with the DTRA. In a February 25 article published by the the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, Robert Pope, the director of the DTRA’s Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, warned that the fighting in Ukraine could lead to dangerous pathogens being released from the labs.
Pope said some of the labs could contain biological weapons left over from the Soviet Union while insisting the facilities are not capable of developing such pathogens. According to the article, the US government has worked with 26 such biological research facilities in Ukraine. Pope and other US officials maintain that the DTRA’s work in Ukraine is meant to eliminate the threat of Soviet-era weapons of mass destruction.
It’s not clear what exactly what pathogens have been held in the labs. Russia says it has documents that show the Ukrainian Health Ministry ordered the destruction of samples of plague, cholera, anthrax, and other pathogens, although they have not been verified. But the World Health Organization bolstered Russia’s case last week by saying it advised the Ukrainian Health Ministry to destroy "high-threat pathogens" around the time Russia invaded.
Russia brought the issue of the US-funded labs to the UN Security Council on Friday, infuriating Washington. China has joined Russia in calling on the US to explain its involvement in the labs, and said the UN should properly address the issue. US State Department spokesman Ned Price said China’s position is "disturbing" and suggested any country that gives "credibility" to Russia’s claims essentially backs its invasion.
