Tulsi Gabbard released declassified documents alleging Dr. Anthony Fauci funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology [1, 2].
The release targets the former top U.S. health official for his role in the early pandemic response. It suggests a coordinated effort to steer intelligence agencies away from the lab-leak hypothesis, a move that may have obscured the true origins of COVID-19.
Gabbard released the materials on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, which was her final day serving as the Director of National Intelligence [1, 2]. The disclosure included hundreds of pages [2] of previously undisclosed communications and internal documents from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in Washington, D.C. [2].
According to the released files, Dr. Fauci helped suppress the theory that the virus leaked from a laboratory in China [1, 2]. The documents further allege that the former health official misled Congress regarding the nature of U.S. funding and the research conducted in Wuhan [1, 2].
Gabbard said the documents were released to expose a cover-up of the pandemic's origins [1]. She said the goal was to hold Dr. Fauci accountable for allegedly influencing spy agencies to avoid investigating the lab-leak theory [2].
The documents focus on the intersection of public health funding and national security intelligence. By releasing these records, Gabbard aimed to challenge the official narrative regarding the emergence of the virus and the transparency of the U.S. government's internal investigations [1, 2].
“hundreds of pages of previously undisclosed communications and internal documents were released”
This release represents a significant escalation in the political and scientific debate over the origins of COVID-19. By utilizing declassified intelligence documents, the former DNI is attempting to shift the burden of proof onto public health officials, suggesting that the avoidance of the lab-leak theory was not a scientific conclusion but a result of internal steering by high-ranking officials.
