Outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Thursday released a tranche of newly declassified documents that she says show former top health official Anthony Fauci played a behind-the-scenes role in shaping intelligence assessments related to the origins of Covid-19.
The release includes internal emails, whistleblower accounts, and intelligence records that Gabbard argues contradict public statements Fauci made during and after the pandemic. The documents were made public alongside a video statement posted to social media.
“Dr. Fauci, as head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, provided millions in US taxpayer dollars to fund dangerous gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is now widely viewed as the source of the unintentional lab leak that sparks the pandemic,” Gabbard said.
According to Gabbard, the records show intelligence officials frequently incorporated Fauci’s recommendations into internal assessments regarding the virus and its origins. She also alleged that officials who questioned prevailing conclusions about a natural origin for Covid-19 faced retaliation or professional consequences.
“Dr. Fauci became the nation’s pandemic pundit, and he publicly pushed lies, disinformation, and censorship using every platform available. Now, according to hundreds of reviewed emails, which are included in this release, the intelligence community almost always incorporated Fauci’s recommendations.”
Gabbard further alleged that Fauci maintained regular contact with intelligence personnel and influenced assessments related to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. She claimed whistleblowers reported efforts by senior officials to discourage support for the lab-leak theory.
The declassified material includes a report from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory that stated: “We assess that all the necessary conditions for an accidental release of a laboratory-modified coronavirus—specifically a coronavirus adapted to recognize human cell receptors—were present in the Chinese Wuhan Institute of Virology in mid-to-late 2019.”
Among the allegations made by Gabbard is that Fauci provided inaccurate testimony to Congress regarding his contacts with intelligence agencies.
She said the documents “expose Fauci’s direct role in influencing and manipulating IC assessments on Covid-19 and how Fauci lied to Congress in 2024 when under oath he denied knowledge of or participation in discussions with intelligence officials about viral research.”
Gabbard also pointed to whistleblower complaints describing alleged retaliation against analysts and contractors who challenged official conclusions about the virus’s origins. One example involved a contractor who was reportedly terminated after raising concerns through whistleblower channels.
“Fauci didn’t stop there. He blatantly lied to Congress under oath during his 2024 testimony to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, denying that he ever spoke to any intelligence agency about Covid. The correspondence I’m releasing today directly contradicts his sworn testimony, and we received statements from multiple whistleblowers revealing that the intelligence analysts who dared to challenge Dr. Fauci’s Covid origin conclusions faced threats of retaliation, marginalization, and many suffered career setbacks,” Gabbard added.
The newly released documents have been made public by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
