I think this is the natural outcome of putting too much emphasis into "accountability.". People will cover things up. Even if it wasn't their fault they'll lie

I think this is the natural outcome of putting too much emphasis into "accountability.". People will cover things up. Even if it wasn't their fault they'll lie to make sure there is no evidence pointing at them. Obviously with much smaller stakes, this is why I try to take blame for every problem on my team. Even if it clearly wasn't my fault, I say something like "oh I've done that before, I should have warned you". It's more important to focus on how to fix things than it is to cast blame. Back to the story, If it was a covered up lab leak, that means they likely had more data available that they could have shared sooner. They didn't because they were afraid of the consequences. The whole idea of CYA/saving face needs to just go away.