Tulsi Gabbard alleges Fauci funded Wuhan lab research on her final day as DNI

Former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassified a tranche of documents, alleging that Dr. Anthony Fauci, in his role as head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, channelled millions in U.S. taxpayer dollars toward gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology—work she claims is widely believed to have triggered the unintentional lab leak that triggered the COVID-19 pandemic. It must be noted that the documents are yet to undergo independent scrutiny.

Gabbard claimed the documents reveal that Fauci's close relationships with the intelligence community allowed him to play three roles that shielded him from scrutiny: as a funder of risky research tied to big pharma and the pursuit of "universal vaccines" worth trillions of dollars; as a behind-the-scenes advisor who, alongside hand-picked experts, pressured the community to endorse a natural animal origin for the virus; and as the nation's public face on the pandemic, using that platform to spread what she described as lies, disinformation, and censorship.

The 45-year-old argued that these documents expose how Fauci worked with a "politicized" intelligence community (IC) to create a "self-serving circular reporting loop." "He provided hand-picked NIAID-funded scientists to advise the IC. This input shaped official intelligence assessments, which were then publicly cited as scientific consensus to refute the lab-leak theory," she said.

She added that hundreds of reviewed emails revealed the IC almost always incorporated Fauci's recommendations. "Fauci promoted a fraudulent paper, whose publication he helped prompt, as legitimate information for the IC's consideration. Senior analysts praised Fauci not as a “policymaker,” but as an unbiased guide to “the real coronavirus experts”—while ignoring experts who might dissent from Fauci's narratives," she said.

Gabbard, a former Democrat-turned-Republican, noted that the documents directly contradicted Fauci's 2024 testimony before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. When asked under oath whether he had spoken with the FBI, CIA, DIA, or any US intelligence agency concerning viral research before, during, or after the pandemic, Fauci repeatedly deflected before stating, "not to my knowledge about COVID" — a claim the released documents, she argued, expose as false.

The materials emerged from a year-long declassification review Gabbard conducted in support of President Donald Trump's maximum-transparency mandate. "The tactics used to hide the truth are straight from the deep state playbook: politicized self-serving leaders like Dr. Fauci covered up their own wrongdoing and abuses of power, manipulated intelligence, lied to Congress, and undermined a duly elected President by restricting his access to vital facts needed to keep the country safe," Gabbard said.

Gabbard, who previously served as a House representative from Hawaii, said her office also gathered testimony from multiple whistleblowers accusing Fauci of targeting those who challenged the intelligence community's handling of the origins of the virus. The accounts, in her view, painted a clear pattern of suppressing dissent, silencing critics, and burying the truth. Fauci has not issued a public statement yet. 

Gabbard cited the following examples: a contractor was terminated days after coming forward to the ODNI as a whistleblower; analysts who advocated for the lab-leak hypothesis were reminded by managers that leadership controlled promotions. "The message was clear: disagreement with the manipulated finding would derail careers," she said, highlighting how senior leaders allegedly dismantled whistleblower protections by removing anonymity from the complaints process, creating what she described as an atmosphere of intimidation.

Gabbard's release came on her final day in office, having stepped down to care for her husband following his cancer diagnosis. If verified, the allegations would represent one of the most significant cover-up claims in recent U.S. political history. Former President Joe Biden preemptively pardoned Fauci over fears of what Biden described as unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions by the incoming administration—a pardon Fauci accepted while maintaining it was not an admission of any wrongdoing.