Newly declassified US intelligence files reignite Covid origins controversy

• US intelligence chief releases declassified Covid-19 files, accusing Fauci of misleading Congress.

In her final act before stepping down as the US Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard released approximately 400 pages of newly declassified intelligence documents.

Accompanied by a video statement, Gabbard claimed the records expose the role of Dr. Anthony Fauci in funding dangerous viral research at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology and subsequently working with "politicized elements" to suppress the laboratory-leak hypothesis.

The funding of gain-of-function research

According to Gabbard, the declassified files, which include internal Intelligence Community emails, memos, and whistleblower reports, reveal that Fauci directed millions of dollars in US taxpayer funding toward "gain-of-function" research on bat coronaviruses in Wuhan.

As defined by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), gain-of-function research involves genetically modifying microorganisms to alter their biological characteristics. These modifications can include:

• Increasing the virus's ability to cause disease (virulence).
• Enhancing its transmission and spread among living organisms.
• Expanding its host range, allowing it to infect species it previously could not, such as humans.

The Wuhan laboratory has long been a focal point of investigations into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused widespread global disruption after first being identified in late 2019.

Allegations of a cover-up and misleading Congress

Gabbard heavily criticized Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), accusing him of manipulating public discourse. She alleged that Fauci worked with certain intelligence officials to downplay the possibility of an accidental lab leak and to shape assessments challenging the theory.

Furthermore, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) stated that internal communications contradict testimony Fauci gave under oath to Congress in 2024. When questioned during a June 2024 hearing regarding whether he had communicated with intelligence agencies about viral research, Fauci responded, "Not to my knowledge about COVID." Gabbard asserted that the newly public records show a pattern of direct communication and briefings that call the accuracy of his testimony into question.

"After years of lies, censorship, and cover-ups, the American people deserve transparency, truth, and accountability."

— Tulsi Gabbard, Outgoing Director of National Intelligence

Declassified reports reveal internal intelligence debates

The document drop, which was executed to fulfill a statutory deadline set by the National Defense Authorization Act, highlights deep divisions that existed within US intelligence bodies as early as 2020. Among the records is a May 2020 report from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Z Program. The report concluded that the necessary conditions for an accidental leak of a modified coronavirus were present at the Wuhan lab in late 2019, leading analysts to place "equal weight" on a lab-leak scenario versus natural transmission.

Fauci has consistently and vigorously denied all accusations of misleading lawmakers or masking pandemic origins, previously labeling such claims "preposterous." He has maintained that while both a laboratory accident and natural spillover remain plausible hypotheses, the bulk of available scientific evidence points toward a natural origin. US intelligence agencies remain split on the matter, and the newly released files have not been independently verified.

For an in-depth breakdown of the newly released intelligence files and the political storm surrounding them, you can watch this WION news report on the declassified Covid origins debate. This broadcast provides additional context on the timing of Tulsi Gabbard's disclosure and the ongoing friction within the US intelligence community over Dr. Fauci's congressional testimony.