Key facts
- Tulsi Gabbard declassified documents alleging Anthony Fauci manipulated intelligence on COVID-19 origins.
- The documents suggest Fauci funded viral gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
- Fauci allegedly steered intelligence analysts toward experts who authored the 'Proximal Origin' paper.
- Intelligence analysts identified a conflict of interest with Fauci's role in the review process.
- Whistleblowers reported facing retaliation for raising concerns about the investigation.
- President Biden issued a preemptive pardon for Fauci via autopen before leaving office.
Tulsi Gabbard, former Director of National Intelligence, has declassified hundreds of pages of documents suggesting that Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, allegedly manipulated the intelligence community to misinform the public about COVID-19 and its origins. The documents, released on June 19, appear to support claims that Fauci funded dangerous viral gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and worked to suppress evidence of a lab leak as the pandemic spread.
During a 90-day presidential review of COVID origins ordered by President Joe Biden in 2021, internal emails show Fauci recommending specific experts, including co-authors of the 'Proximal Origin' paper, which argued for a natural-animal origin. This led intelligence analysts to flag a deep institutional conflict of interest, with one senior analyst calling Fauci a 'highly interested policymaker' and rejecting him as an outside reviewer. Experts at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory who identified a virus precursor supporting a lab-leak finding were reportedly overruled by National Intelligence Council leadership.
Those who attempted to report concerns allegedly faced retaliation, including a contractor claiming termination and analysts being reminded that promotions depended on reaching a preferred conclusion. The article notes the intelligence community's history of alleged interference, citing the coordination with the Biden campaign to label Hunter Biden's laptop as 'Russian disinformation.'
Financial disclosures indicate Fauci's household net worth roughly doubled during the pandemic, from $7.6 million in 2019 to $12.6 million by the end of 2021. His agency received substantial royalty payments from pharmaceutical companies, including $400 million from Moderna in 2022, though the NIH has declined to specify how much went to individual scientists. The documents frame Fauci's research agenda as linked to 'big pharma and the pursuit of universal vaccines worth trillions of dollars,' suggesting regulatory capture.
On January 19, 2025, President Biden issued a preemptive, full, and unconditional pardon for Fauci via autopen the night before Inauguration Day, authorized through emails from Chief of Staff Jeff Zients. The House Oversight Committee's report deemed these autopen pardons void. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi initiated a review of the pardon.
The article acknowledges that Gabbard's release is not a verdict, Fauci denies wrongdoing, intelligence documents can be ambiguous, and the autopen pardon's legal standing is unsettled. However, it points to the FBI, Department of Energy, and CIA placing varying degrees of confidence in a lab-leak conclusion and notes Senator Rand Paul's prior questioning now appears prescient. The issuance of a pardon before charges were filed is also highlighted as a red flag, with the author asserting the American people are still owed information.