The basis of my concern wasn't the scientist within the NML. The basis of my concern was actually the recipient laboratory.
I had the privilege over the course of my five-year term at the NML to co-chair the global health security action group laboratory network. That was a G7-plus-Mexico network. All the directors of the different high-containment laboratories came together for it. For the most part, it was a network of trust and awareness that you needed to have people whom you could work with when issues and crises arose. It was so that you had someone at the other end of the phone whom you could talk to.
We met at least twice per year at these different institutes around the world. That was a major component of my own awareness of how other laboratories operated.
Obviously, this particular laboratory was not within that network, so I had very little awareness of the activities in that particular lab. That's why I put the question back to my team to make sure that they went through all of the processes and all of their due diligence to ensure a safe transfer.