US spy agencies were tracking the rise of the novel coronavirus as early as November, a former US military official tells CNN
While the exact date of the first report remains unclear, sources told CNN that intelligence gathered in November and in the weeks following offered multiple early warnings about the potential severity of the pandemic now surging in the US.
A defense official denied any such report existed, telling CNN,"NCMI and the Defense Intelligence Agency spent considerable time over the last 24 hours examining every possible product that could have been identified as related to this topic and have found no such product.""As a matter of practice the National Center for Medical Intelligence does not comment publicly on specific intelligence matters.
Asked about the ABC News report during the daily coronavirus task force briefing, Trump said he"learned about the gravity of it was some time just prior to closing the country to China and when we closed up the flights coming into China, various other elements and as you know, we closed up to Europe. So, I don't know, exactly, but I'd like to see the information."
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which is tasked with producing the President's daily briefing, and the National Security Council, declined to comment on the timing of initial warnings about the outbreak in China. Intelligence work continues on the virus. The CIA has emphasized its expertise in assessing the outbreak's impact on foreign governments and leadership, as well as how that could affect US national security.
Much of the information flowing from the intelligence community on the current crisis comes from National Center for Medical Intelligence, Clapper added. The NCIM is a unique outfit that combines wide-ranging, advanced medical expertise with intelligence gathering and assessments.
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