Tim Walz promoted research center tied to Wuhan lab

Kamala Harris' governor and running mate, Tim Walz, has long pushed for a Minnesota-based medical research center with ties to the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.

The information was confirmed by the Washington Examiner, which had access to documents showing that the Hormel Institute often collaborates with the Wuhan Institute on research. The Chinese center has been under the world's spotlight for the pandemic generated by covid-19, which some claim originated at the institute.

According to documents reviewed by the news outlet, researchers at the Hormel Institute have collaborated with the Wuhan Institute of Virology on several projects, including a study on Covid-19 at the height of the pandemic in 2020. They are also currently working together on structural biology research.

"As a congressman, Walz helped secure over $2 million for the Hormel Institute’s technology acquisitions and was a 'strong advocate for The Hormel Institute, including by supporting its major expansions', the Minnesota-based group said in April of this year," the Washington Examiner explained.

"Moreover, in 2008, Walz reportedly pushed for a $5 million federal earmark for the University of Minnesota-housed group and has visited the Hormel Institute to discuss ways to increase its federal funding", the news outlet's investigation added.

In addition, Walz himself has referred to his connection to the research center. In April of this year he claimed that the Hormel Institute has helped medical innovation in his state.

"For 80+ years, the Hormel Institute has helped pave the way for Minnesota to lead in biomedical innovation. It was great to stop by their facilities yesterday in Austin to see that work in action," Walz highlighted in a message posted on the social network X.

According to a paper by Fox News, the Hormel Institute is also linked to a Chinese military-backed company called the Beijing Genomics Institute.

The data come after the Republican-led House Oversight Committee opened an investigation in August into Minnesota's governor for his ties to China.

The Democrat, as recalled by Axios, spent a year teaching in China after graduating from college and later organized annual student trips to the country as a high school teacher in the United States. He is estimated to have gone to China about 30 times.

"Americans should be deeply concerned that Governor Walz, Kamala Harris's vice-presidential running mate, has a longstanding and cozy relationship with China," Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said in a letter he sent to FBI Director Christopher Wray requesting information about Walz's connections to that country.

In 2021, the State Department released a report in which it explained that although the Wuhan Institute of Virology presents itself as a civilian institution, it has collaborated on secret publications and projects with the Chinese military.

"The WIV has engaged in classified research, including laboratory animal experiments, on behalf of the Chinese military since at least 2017," the State Department highlighted.

Meanwhile, University of Minnesota spokesman Jake Ricker maintained that the school and the Hormel Institute have no formal affiliation with the Wuhan Institute of Virology or with the Beijing Genomics Institute.