Anthony Fauci (L) and Tulsi Gabbard (R)
Former US President Joe Biden's top medical adviser Anthony Fauci funded a laboratory in China's Wuhan and influenced intelligence assessments on the origins of Covid-19 while misleading Congress under oath, according to a claim made by outgoing director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard . The allegation surfaced when Gabbard accused Fauci of funding gain-of-function research at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology. Announcing the release, Gabbard said the documents contain previously unseen communications that, according to her office, demonstrate Fauci's role in directing US taxpayer funds toward research in Wuhan and his interactions with intelligence officials during the pandemic. "Today, on my final day as director of national intelligence, I'm releasing never-before-seen communications and documents exposing how Dr Fauci provided millions in US 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 hide the virus' lab-leak origins, and lied to Congress while under oath in 2024.
It's time you 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 ODNI alleged that the research is "now widely viewed as the source of the unintentional lab leak that sparked the pandemic" and claimed Fauci worked with "politicised career leadership" within the intelligence community to suppress information about the virus's origins and his role in funding the work.
"The Covid-19 pandemic caused tremendous hardship and pain for millions of our fellow Americans and for countless people around the world. After years of lies, censorship, and cover ups, the American people deserve transparency, truth, and accountability," Gabbard said. She further added, "The tactics used to hide the truth are straight from the deep state playbook: politicized self-serving leaders like Dr.
Fauci covered up their own wrongdoing and abuses 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 the American people learn the real story." The ODNI said the documents were uncovered 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 claimed they faced retaliation for challenging official conclusions regarding the origins of Covid-19. According to the release, Fauci maintained close ties with intelligence officials during the pandemic, serving as a government-funded researcher, adviser and public spokesperson. The ODNI alleged that Fauci and senior intelligence officials created a "self-serving circular reporting loop" in which scientists funded by NIAID influenced intelligence assessments that were later cited publicly as evidence against the lab-leak theory. The agency also claimed that communications contained in the newly released documents contradict Fauci's testimony before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in 2024. According to the ODNI, Fauci was asked under oath whether he had communicated with intelligence agencies concerning viral research before, during or after the pandemic and responded, "not to my knowledge about Covid." The release additionally cited whistle-blower accounts alleging that intelligence analysts who supported the lab-leak theory faced marginalisation, career setbacks and intimidation. Fauci was granted a pre-emptive 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 nothing." "Baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety and financial security of targeted individuals and their families," he added. Biden also stressed that the pardons were not an admission of wrongdoing, saying, "The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense." Fauci, who served as the United States' leading infectious disease expert for nearly four decades, has long been criticised by sections of the American political right over his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. In January 2025, Trump revoked the government-funded security detail that had been provided to Fauci through the National Institutes of Health. Defending the move, Trump said, "I think, you know, when you work for government, at some point your securi…
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