Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has released declassified records alleging Anthony Fauci influenced Covid-19 origin assessments and maintained undisclosed interactions with intelligence officials.
Tulsi Gabbard says newly declassified documents raise questions about Anthony Fauci's interactions with intelligence officials during Covid-19 origin reviews. | Photo: X/@DNIGabbard
The debate over how COVID-19 began has returned to the centre of political and intelligence scrutiny in the United States after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released a fresh set of declassified records alleging former top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci played a role in shaping government assessments on the virus’s origins.
The disclosure is the latest step in the Trump administration’s broader effort to re-examine decisions taken during the pandemic. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) claims the documents raise questions about interactions between Fauci, intelligence officials and scientists involved in discussions over whether COVID-19 emerged naturally or through a laboratory-related incident.
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Announcing the release, Gabbard said the records were uncovered during a year-long declassification review and include communications that she argues reveal Fauci’s involvement in discussions linked to virus-origin investigations.
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“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.
The ODNI alleged that Fauci maintained close contact with intelligence officials during key stages of the COVID origins review process. According to the agency, intelligence personnel sought guidance from experts recommended by Fauci during the Biden administration’s 90-day review of the pandemic’s origins in 2021.
One communication cited by the ODNI described Fauci as a subject matter expert with extensive knowledge of coronavirus research and suggested officials follow up on his recommendations regarding scientific experts.
The ODNI said the newly released material indicates Fauci was involved in discussions connected to intelligence assessments while also serving as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
According to the agency, some of the communications conflict with testimony Fauci provided before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in 2024.
The ODNI noted that Fauci was asked whether he had communicated with intelligence agencies regarding viral research connected to COVID-19 and replied, “not to my knowledge about COVID.”
Among the documents released is an August 2021 communication referencing a whistleblower complaint that alleged Fauci provided “false testimony to Congress related to the conduct of gain of function research at the National Institutes of Health.”
The agency further claimed that scientists and researchers funded through NIAID were later cited in intelligence assessments that were publicly used to challenge the lab-leak theory.
The ODNI also released whistleblower allegations suggesting some intelligence analysts faced professional consequences for supporting the possibility that the virus originated from a laboratory-related incident.
According to the agency, complaints included claims of marginalisation, career setbacks and pressure against dissenting views. Gabbard said several of those allegations have been referred to the Intelligence Community Inspector General for review.
The documents also reference a May 2020 assessment prepared by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. According to the ODNI, the assessment concluded that conditions existed in Wuhan for the accidental release of a laboratory-modified coronavirus and assigned equal weight to laboratory and natural-origin theories.
The origins of COVID-19 continue to divide US intelligence agencies. While some assessments have supported a natural animal-to-human transmission theory, others have viewed a laboratory-related incident as the more likely explanation.
Fauci, who served as the United States’ leading infectious disease expert for decades, has remained a frequent target of criticism from sections of the American political right over his handling of the pandemic and public health guidance.
In January 2025, former US president Joe Biden issued Fauci a pre-emptive pardon. At the time, Biden said investigations targeting individuals involved in public service could cause significant personal and financial harm, and stressed that the pardon should not be interpreted as evidence of wrongdoing.
Separately, President Donald Trump revoked Fauci’s government-funded security detail earlier this year, saying such protection could not continue indefinitely.
The latest disclosures come days after another ODNI declassification exercise in which the agency alleged that the US government had funded biological laboratories in multiple countries and that some facilities conducted research involving hazardous pathogens.
Gabbard is set to leave the intelligence chief’s post on June 30. Fox News reported that Gabbard decided to leave public office to support her husband, Abraham Williams, following his diagnosis with a rare bone cancer.
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