Anthony Fauci (left) and Tulsi Gabbard (right)
Anthony Fauci, former US President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, funded a laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan and influenced intelligence assessments about the origins of Covid-19 while misleading Congress under oath, according to an allegation made by outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.This allegation came to light when Gabbard accused Fauci of funding gain-of-function research at the Chinese Wuhan Institute of Virology.Announcing the release, Gabbard said the documents contain never-before-seen communications that, according to her office, show Fauci’s role in directing American taxpayer dollars toward research in Wuhan and his interactions with intelligence officials during the pandemic.“Today, on my last day as Director of National Intelligence, I release never-before-seen communications and documents revealing how Dr. Fauci provided millions of American taxpayer dollars to fund dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab, worked with politicized elements within the intelligence community to suppress the truth about his actions and conceal the origins of the virus leak from the lab, and lied to Congress while under oath in 2024.
“It’s time to know the truth,” Gabbard said.According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Fauci, while leading the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), oversaw funding for gain-of-function research involving bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.The Office of the Director of National Intelligence claimed that the research “is now widely viewed as the source of the inadvertent lab leak that sparked the pandemic” and claimed that Fauci worked with “politicized professional leadership” within the intelligence community to suppress information about the origins of the virus and his role in funding the work.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused tremendous suffering and pain for millions of our American citizens and countless people around the world,” Gabbard said. “After years of lies, censorship, and cover-ups, the American people deserve transparency, truth, and accountability.”She added: “The tactics used to hide the truth are directly inspired by the Deep State playbook: politicized, self-serving leaders like Dr.
Fauci covered up his own wrongdoing and abuse of power, manipulated intelligence, lied to Congress, and undermined a duly elected president by restricting his access to vital facts needed to keep the country safe. “It’s time for the American people to learn the real story.”The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said the documents were disclosed during a year-long declassification review conducted as part of President Donald Trump’s transparency agenda. The office also cited testimony from intelligence community whistleblowers who alleged they faced retaliation for challenging official conclusions regarding the origins of COVID-19.According to the statement, Fauci has maintained close relationships with intelligence officials during the pandemic, working as a government-funded researcher, consultant, and public speaker.The Office of the Director of National Intelligence alleged that Fauci and senior intelligence officials created a “self-serving circular reporting loop” in which NIAID-funded scientists influenced intelligence assessments that were later publicly cited as evidence against the lab leak theory.The agency also claimed that communications in the newly released documents contradict Fauci’s testimony before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in 2024.According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Fauci was asked under oath whether he had communicated with intelligence agencies regarding viral research before, during or after the pandemic, to which he replied: “Not to my knowledge regarding Covid.”Additionally, the statement cited whistleblower accounts alleging that intelligence analysts who supported the lab leak theory faced marginalization, professional setbacks, and intimidation.Fauci was granted a preemptive pardon by former President Joe Biden during the final hours of his presidency in January 2025.Explaining the decision, Biden said: “These are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do anything.”He added, “The baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety and financial security of the targeted individuals and their families.”Biden also stressed that the pardon was not an admission of wrongdoing, saying: “The issuance of this pardon should not be mistaken as an admission that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should the acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any crime.”Fauci, who has served as the United States’ leading infectious disease expert for nearly four decades, has long been criticized by sectors of the American political right over his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.In January 2025, Trump canceled the government-funded security detail provided to Fauci through the National Institutes of Health.“I think, you know, when you work for the government, at some point your security detail gets separated from you and, you know, you can’t keep it forever,” Trump said in defense of the move.Fauci had previously said that the threats against him and his family were fueled by conspiracy theories surrounding the origins of Covid-19.These latest disclosures come on the heels of other declassification efforts announced by Gabbard on June 12. In that release, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence claimed to have discovered evidence of long-term US government funding of more than 120 biological laboratories in more than 30 countries, including facilities in Ukraine.The Office of the Director of National Intelligence alleged that some of these laboratories conducted research involving dangerous pathogens and, in some cases, gain-of-function experiments. It also alleged that information about the facilities’ locations and financing was withheld from the public.“Despite the clear potential for catastrophic global impact research on dangerous pathogens in biolabs, politicians, so-called health professionals like Dr. Fauci, and entities within the Biden administration’s national security team, lied to the American people about the existence of U.S.-funded and supported biolabs, and threatened those who tried to expose the truth,” Gabbard said in her June 12 statement.According to Fox News, Gabbard informed Trump that she would step down from her role to support her husband, Abraham Williams, who was diagnosed with a rare type of bone cancer.“At this time, I must step down from public service to be at his side and fully support him during this fight,” Gabbard said.Her resignation is scheduled to take effect on June 30. Following her departure, Bill Bolt, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, will serve as acting director of national intelligence while continuing his current role overseeing the housing agency.
