Fauci Lab-Leak Claims
Gabbard Releases Declassified Files Alleging Fauci Funded Wuhan Lab Research, Misled Congress
Key Points
Gabbard’s latest declassification was her “second major declassification effort in eight days,” coming after a June 12, 2026 unveiling of records covering “more than 120 US-funded biological laboratories.”
The reporting notes the U.S. intelligence community is divided by agency: the CIA, FBI, and Department of Energy “variously assess a lab-leak origin,” while “five other agencies have leaned toward natural spillover.”
Newsweek reported outreach attempts to Fauci for comment via Georgetown Global Health Institute late Thursday night.
In her allegations, Gabbard described what she called a “three-pronged scheme”: funding gain-of-function research tied to Big Pharma’s hunt for a universal vaccine, pressuring “handpicked ‘experts’” to push intelligence toward a natural-origin story, and portraying Fauci as a “pandemic pundit” shaping public messaging.
On her final day as Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard released hundreds of pages of declassified files on June 19, 2026, claiming they show former NIAID chief Dr. Anthony Fauci funneled millions in taxpayer dollars to gain-of-function research at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology — and then worked to hide it. Washington Examiner reported the release covers previously undisclosed communications and internal documents alleging Fauci steered U.S. spy agencies away from the lab-leak theory.
The release is Gabbard's second major declassification in eight days, following a June 12 unveiling of records on more than 120 U.S.-funded biological labs worldwide. President Trump appointed Bill Pulte as acting DNI hours after Gabbard's announcement, signaling the administration intends to keep pressure on the COVID-origins question.
Fauci's Alleged 'Three-Pronged Scheme' Explained
Gabbard describes what she calls a "three-pronged scheme." First, she alleges Fauci used NIAID funds — routed through intermediaries like EcoHealth Alliance — to pay for bat coronavirus research at the Wuhan lab, partly in pursuit of a universal vaccine tied to Big Pharma. Second, she claims he leaned on "handpicked experts" inside the intelligence community to favor the natural-spillover theory over a lab-leak origin.
Third, Gabbard alleges Fauci dominated public messaging as a "pandemic pundit," labeling dissenting scientists as spreaders of misinformation. She also claims he misled Congress while under oath during his June 2024 testimony, when he denied that NIH funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab. NY Post reported the declassified files are being presented as the evidence that contradicts that testimony.
Intelligence Community Remains Split on COVID Origins
The U.S. intelligence community is not unified. The FBI, the Department of Energy, and ODNI leadership now assess that a lab leak was the likely origin. Five other agencies, including the CIA and the National Intelligence Council, have historically leaned toward natural spillover. No agency has reached a "high confidence" conclusion either way.
Gabbard's files add a new charge: that "politicized elements" inside the CIA actively pressured analysts to favor the natural-origin story. Washington Examiner noted that career intelligence officers have pushed back sharply on that claim, arguing it is a subjective charge that undermines the IC's ability to stay neutral. Internal tension between political appointees and career officers has fueled what some describe as a "civil war" inside the agencies.
Democrats Call Documents 'Repackaged,' Fauci Silent
Democratic members of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic fired back the same afternoon. They argued the materials are "unsupported by the panel's extensive multi-year evidence" and amount to a "politicization of intelligence." They described the release as "repackaged" older intelligence rather than new proof of wrongdoing.
Fauci has not publicly responded. Newsweek reported that journalists reached out to him through the Georgetown Global Health Institute late Thursday night and received no comment. His last major public defense came during his 2024 Congressional testimony, where he denied the core allegations Gabbard now claims the documents disprove.
What Comes Next: Perjury Referrals and Lab Funding Overhaul
The political stakes are high. If the declassified files show Fauci knew about specific gain-of-function risks he denied under oath in 2024, analysts at the Heritage Foundation suggest the Justice Department could receive a perjury referral. The Trump administration is also expected to use the June 12 lab-records release — covering 120-plus facilities — to push for a sweeping overhaul of NIH oversight and U.S. funding for overseas high-containment labs.
Gabbard framed the release in stark terms: "The American people have a right to know the truth about the origins of COVID-19 and the role their own government played in funding the very research that may have started it." Whether the files hold up to independent scrutiny remains to be seen — but the declassification has already reignited a fiercely contested debate that shows no sign of cooling.
Sentiment
Mostly NegativePublishers
60
Articles
54
Reach
114
