By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice
The House Oversight & Accountability Committee’s After-Action Review of the COVID-19 pandemic, released on Dec. 2, presents a scathing indictment of the government’s, media’s and political organizations’ handling of the crisis. It exposes systemic failures, deceptions and outright betrayals that exacerbated the suffering of millions.
This report not only lays bare the consequences of incompetence and political agendas but also raises the unsettling question: Did fear and ignorance drive this failure, or was it a calculated assault on the American people?
The revelation that COVID-19 most likely originated from a lab in Wuhan, China, should shake the very foundations of public trust in our institutions. For years, the media, government officials and public health leaders dismissed the lab leak theory as a conspiracy, branding those who raised questions as xenophobic or unscientific. Yet the evidence now confirms what many suspected: gain-of-function research, conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, was the likely source of the pandemic.
E-mails and testimony reveal that Dr. Anthony Fauci orchestrated efforts to suppress the lab leak theory by promoting the now-discredited “Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2” publication, which falsely asserted a natural origin for the virus. This coordinated effort to mislead the public highlights a disturbing willingness to prioritize narrative control over transparency. Wuhan researchers were reportedly ill with COVID-like symptoms in late 2019 — months before the outbreak was linked to a wet market — further underscoring the deliberate cover-up.
Few groups suffered as profoundly from the pandemic response as children. Despite evidence that children were unlikely to contribute significantly to the spread of COVID-19 or experience severe illness, schools were shuttered for prolonged periods. This decision, influenced by the political interference of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in CDC guidelines, caused irreparable harm.
The consequences are staggering: historic learning losses that set students back decades, skyrocketing mental health crises, and a 51% rise in suicide attempts among adolescent girls. The AFT, a political organization with no scientific expertise, influenced CDC reopening policies to include automatic closure triggers and prolonged shutdowns, prioritizing union interests over children’s well-being. Former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky’s willingness to allow the AFT to rewrite public health policy underscores the corruption and politicization of pandemic decision-making.
The so-called “scientific” measures imposed on Americans — social distancing, mask mandates and prolonged lockdowns — were neither scientific nor effective. Testimony revealed that the “6 feet apart” rule was arbitrary, with no evidence to support its efficacy. Mask mandates were implemented and withdrawn with no consistent rationale, further eroding public trust in health authorities.
Prolonged lockdowns inflicted untold damage, particularly on younger populations and the working class. Rather than focusing on protecting the most vulnerable, these policies forced millions to sacrifice their livelihoods, mental health and physical well-being. The result? An economic downturn, increased suicide rates and a mental health crisis that will take decades to repair.
The COVID-19 vaccines were presented as the ultimate solution, yet they failed to deliver on their promises to stop the spread or transmission of the virus. Mandates coerced Americans into compliance, trampling individual freedoms and damaging military readiness. Vaccine injury reporting systems were opaque and poorly managed, leaving those harmed by the vaccines without clear answers or recourse. The government’s failure to transparently adjudicate vaccine injury claims further eroded public confidence in vaccine safety.
The financial toll of the pandemic response is almost as shocking as the public health failures. Billions of taxpayer dollars were lost to fraud in relief programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and unemployment assistance. At least $191 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims and $64 billion in PPP scams were documented, with much of this money stolen by international criminal organizations.
The lack of oversight and coordination allowed foreign adversaries to siphon taxpayer dollars, empowering them to invest in more advanced methods of fraud and cybercrime. The Small Business Administration’s failure to implement fraud prevention measures further highlights the systemic incompetence of government agencies during the crisis.
The media’s role in suppressing dissent and manipulating narratives cannot be overstated. From dismissing the lab leak theory as “debunked” to silencing concerns about vaccine efficacy and school closures, the media acted as an enabler of government overreach. Social media platforms censored legitimate discussions, depriving the public of critical information and fostering a culture of fear and compliance.
The Hunter Biden laptop story and the pre-2020 election suppression of COVID-19-related dissent demonstrate a pattern of media collusion with political interests. By failing to hold leaders accountable and suppressing alternative viewpoints, the media betrayed its role as the fourth estate.
The unprecedented legal actions against President Donald Trump served as a smokescreen to distract from the mounting evidence of government and media failures. Trump’s alleged mishandling of documents, amplified to unprecedented proportions, pales in comparison to the public health and economic disasters orchestrated under the Biden administration. This selective application of justice further erodes faith in the integrity of our institutions.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed systemic corruption, incompetence and betrayal at every level of government and society. The question is not whether these failures were accidental or deliberate – they were both. The American people deserve answers, and they must demand accountability. Did fear and ignorance drive this catastrophic response, or was it a calculated assault on the very fabric of American life?
We must learn from these failures, hold those responsible to account and ensure that such a betrayal of public trust never happens again. Transparency, accountability and a renewed commitment to truth are the only paths forward if we are to restore faith in our leaders and institutions. This is a defining moment in American history. Let us not waste it.
C. J. Garbo is a cyber security executive for a global technology solutions company and a native of Colorado, holding a bachelor’s in political science from Metropolitan State University of Denver, and a master’s in human resource management from Regis University. He is the vice chair of the Douglas County Planning Commission and the senior legislative aide to Representative-elect Max Brooks of House District 45. CJ is also a 15-year former law enforcement veteran. He has worked on local campaigns, and as campaign manager for Joe Andujo (District 8, U.S. House) and Greg Lopez (governor). Additionally, he is a former chair of the Douglas County Young Republicans.
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.