The probe, inaugurated under former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, was run from the State Department’s arms control and verification bureau, and was swiftly terminated by the Biden White House, according to CNN.

“Sources involved in the Trump-era inquiry rejected criticisms over the quality of their work and told CNN their objective had been to examine scientific research and information from the US intelligence community which backed the lab leak theory and shone more light on how it could have emerged in the lab,” the outlet noted, though Biden personnel deemed the project an “ineffective use of resources.”

A State Department spokesperson confirmed the termination of the probe, adding a statement which failed to even mention China or the Wuhan Institute of Virology:

“Even though this discrete project has concluded, the State Department continues to work with the interagency to look into the COVID origins issue.”