Former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has released a set of documents and communications that she says reveal efforts by Dr. Anthony Fauci and intelligence officials to shape public understanding of COVID-19’s origins and suppress alternative assessments.
In a post on X on June 19, Gabbard announced the release of what she described as previously undisclosed records concerning U.S.-funded research at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology and the government’s handling of intelligence related to 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 wrote.
The post was accompanied by a video in which Gabbard expanded on the allegations, claiming that federal funding approved during Fauci’s tenure as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases supported coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. She argued that the work is now “widely viewed as the source of the unintentional lab leak that sparked the pandemic.”
According to Gabbard, the newly released records show that Fauci and certain intelligence officials worked together to steer assessments toward a natural-origin explanation for the virus while sidelining competing theories, including the possibility of a laboratory accident.
“These 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,” she said.
READ: Why did Tulsi Gabbard resign? Husband’s illness or growing MAGA rift? (
Gabbard also said her office received testimony from intelligence community whistleblowers who alleged retaliation for challenging official conclusions about the virus’s origins. She claimed some analysts who supported the lab-leak theory faced professional consequences, while others were discouraged from expressing dissenting views.
“We also received testimony from multiple intelligence community whistleblowers who reported retaliation for challenging the intelligence community’s manipulation of intelligence on the virus’s origins,” Gabbard said, describing what she called “a clear pattern of suppressing dissent, silencing critics, and burying the truth.”
The former intelligence chief further alleged that Fauci’s influence extended beyond public health policy and into intelligence assessments. She accused him of promoting scientific research that supported a natural-origin explanation and claimed intelligence officials frequently incorporated his recommendations into their analyses.
“According to hundreds of reviewed emails which are included in this release, the intelligence community almost always incorporated Fauci’s recommendations,” Gabbard said in the video.
Among her most serious allegations, Gabbard contended that Fauci misled lawmakers during testimony before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in 2024. She argued that correspondence contained in the document release contradicts his sworn statements that he had not communicated with intelligence agencies about COVID-related matters.
READ: Who is Tulsi Gabbard’s husband? The man behind her resignation (
“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,” she said. “The correspondence I’m releasing today directly contradicts his sworn testimony.”
Gabbard also cited whistleblower accounts alleging intimidation within the intelligence community. She claimed some employees who questioned prevailing conclusions were threatened with career repercussions, while others faced obstacles in reporting concerns through official channels.
“The message was clear, go along or be punished,” she said.
The release comes as debates over the origins of COVID-19 and the role of U.S.-funded research continue to generate political and scientific controversy years after the pandemic began. Multiple federal agencies have reached differing conclusions regarding the virus’s origins, and no definitive consensus has been established.
Concluding her remarks, Gabbard argued that the American public deserves greater transparency about decisions made during the pandemic and the government’s handling of intelligence related to COVID-19.
“After years of lies and censorship and cover-ups, the American people deserve transparency, truth, and accountability,” she said. “It’s time you know the truth.”