This past weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported that classified documents show the Department of Energy (DOE) believes COVID-19 originated in a lab.

On Monday, Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul demanded that the material be made available to the public. 

"They should be declassified!"

According to Just the News, Paul called on the Biden administration to declassify documents relating to whether or not COVID originated at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Classified documents leaked (they should be declassified!) showing scientists at DOE believe COVID leaked from Wuhan Lab https://t.co/glETIVPe5z

— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) February 27, 2023

Fox News noted that Paul was not alone in his call for transparency, as other Republicans repeated that same message on social media.

One of them was Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton (R), who said that "[w]hat matters is holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable so this doesn’t happen again."

Josh Hawley will put forward a bill to declassify COVID documents

Re. China’s lab leak, being proven right doesn’t matter.

What matters is holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable so this doesn’t happen again.

— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) February 26, 2023

Colorado Rep. Ken Buck agreed, tweeting, "The American people deserve to see all the information concerning the Chinese lab leak and the origins of COVID."

The elites and academics owe everyone who had legitimate questions and concerns about the origins of COVID an apology.

The American people deserve to see all the information concerning the Chinese lab leak and the origins of COVID. This won’t be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/hKARnyNgab

— Rep. Ken Buck (@RepKenBuck) February 26, 2023

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley spoke up as well, announcing that he will "introduce legislation to make the US government’s intelligence reports on covid open to the people."

The American people deserve the full truth about #covid origins. No more whitewash. I will again introduce legislation to make the US government’s intelligence reports on covid open to the people https://t.co/6rKqPzPKO2

— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) February 26, 2023

Lab theory long dismissed as a conspiracy theory

Meanwhile, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz cited the Wall Street Journal report when responding to a tweet from Washington Post fact checker Glenn Kessler, who said it was "virtually impossible" for COVID to have originated in a lab.

4 🤡’s for Glenn. https://t.co/587JmvrIOE pic.twitter.com/K0pO6BPvxp

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 26, 2023

Fox News recalled how suggestions that COVID had a man-made origin were "widely dismissed as a conspiracy theory and 'misinformation' by Democrats, major news outlets, scientists and social media companies in the early stages of the pandemic."