In a dramatic parting move as US Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard has released a cache of previously undisclosed documents alleging that Anthony Fauci, the former chief US infectious disease expert and one of the most prominent faces of America's Covid response, funded risky coronavirus research in China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, influenced intelligence assessments on the origins of the pandemic and misled Congress under oath.
The declassification, which Gabbard described as the culmination of a year-long review ordered under President Donald Trump's "maximum transparency" policy, has reignited one of the most contentious debates surrounding the pandemic that claimed millions of lives worldwide.
Gabbard's Final Act
Unveiling the documents on her final day in office, Gabbard said Americans deserved "transparency, truth and accountability" after years of what she called "lies, censorship and cover-ups".
According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Fauci, who headed the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for nearly four decades, channelled millions of dollars in taxpayer funds towards gain-of-function research involving bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The agency claimed the research is now widely viewed as having led to the accidental lab leak that triggered the Covid-19 outbreak.
Allegations of Influencing Intelligence
The newly released records also allege that Fauci maintained close ties with sections of the US intelligence community and influenced official assessments on the virus' origins by promoting experts and studies supporting a natural-origin theory while sidelining dissenting views.
Gabbard accused some intelligence officials of suppressing contrary evidence and creating what she described as a cycle in which intelligence assessments and scientific narratives reinforced one another.
The documents, according to the ODNI, also contradict Fauci's testimony before a congressional panel in 2024, when he denied having knowledge of discussions with US intelligence agencies regarding Covid-related viral research.
Whistleblower Testimony
The intelligence chief further cited testimony from multiple whistleblowers, alleging that analysts who questioned prevailing conclusions about the virus' origins faced retaliation, professional isolation and threats to their careers.
Gabbard said the complaints had been referred to the Intelligence Community's Inspector General. "The American people deserve to know the real story," she said, accusing senior officials of manipulating intelligence and concealing information that undermined public trust.
The allegations are likely to intensify political and scientific disputes that have persisted since the outbreak of the pandemic. While the lab-leak theory has gained support among some intelligence agencies and scientists, no definitive consensus has yet emerged regarding the origins of the virus.
Fauci, who retired from government service in 2022 after serving as chief medical adviser to former President Joe Biden, has consistently denied wrongdoing and repeatedly rejected claims that US-funded research in Wuhan caused the pandemic. There was no immediate response from him to the latest allegations.
