Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard late Thursday released newly declassified documents and communications that show former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci directed millions of taxpayer dollars toward gain-of-function coronavirus research, influenced Intel Community assessments on COVID-19’s origins, concealed his involvement in discussions with intelligence officials, and later provided false testimony to Congress.
The records stem from a yearlong declassification review conducted in support of President Trump’s transparency directive and include whistleblower testimony alleging retaliation against intelligence analysts who challenged official conclusions about the virus’s origins.
The documents show Fauci directed millions of taxpayer dollars toward gain-of-function coronavirus research at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology before the pandemic. That research is now widely viewed as the source of the lab leak that sparked the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci later worked with intelligence officials and NIAID-funded scientists to promote a natural-origin explanation while dismissing the lab-leak theory.
ODNI also reveals that Fauci and senior intelligence officials created a “circular reporting loop,” in which hand-picked scientists provided input to intelligence agencies, those assessments were incorporated into official findings, and the resulting conclusions were then cited publicly as scientific consensus against the lab-leak hypothesis. Hundreds of internal emails show Fauci’s recommendations were frequently adopted by intelligence officials, who viewed him as a guide to trusted coronavirus experts while disregarding dissenting views. A scientific paper Fauci helped promote was later used to support assessments favoring a natural origin.
The newly released correspondence contradicts Fauci’s 2024 testimony before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, where Fauci denied knowledge of discussions with intelligence agencies regarding COVID-related viral research.
The review also includes testimony from multiple whistleblowers who alleged analysts supporting the lab-leak theory faced intimidation, marginalization, and career repercussions. Among the examples cited by ODNI are claims that a contractor was terminated after coming forward as a whistleblower, managers suggested promotion decisions could be affected by analysts’ positions on COVID origins, and senior officials took steps that reduced whistleblower anonymity.
The materials expose years of censorship, intelligence manipulation, and efforts to suppress dissent regarding the origins of COVID-19. Fauci and politicized intelligence officials restricted information from President Trump, promoted disinformation, and concealed evidence that challenged the preferred narrative surrounding the pandemic’s origins.
The whistleblower allegations have been referred to the Intelligence Community Inspector General for further review.
