Gabbard Releases Documents on Fauci and COVID-19 Origins

Tulsi Gabbard, the US Director of National Intelligence, has released documents alleging that immunologist Anthony Fauci funded risky coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and later helped shape the intelligence community's assessments of the virus's origin.

According to the released materials, Fauci worked with intelligence officials to suppress the lab-leak hypothesis for SARS-CoV-2 and to promote the narrative of a natural origin for the pandemic, Gabbard's office said.

Gabbard said the documents also cast doubt on Fauci's 2024 testimony before Congress, in which he denied under oath any knowledge of discussions with intelligence agencies regarding viral research.

The materials include testimony from whistleblowers within the intelligence community who, according to Gabbard, faced retaliation for questioning the official conclusions on COVID-19's origin, including threats to their careers and, in at least one case, termination.

Gabbard said the release of the documents was part of an effort to promote transparency and accountability after years of what she called concealment, censorship and manipulation of information about the pandemic.

(odni, bak)