Outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard Releases Documents Alleging Fauci Directed Taxpayer Funds to Wuhan Gain-of-Function Research Linked to COVID Lab Leak

Washington, D.C. — On her final day as Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard on June 18, 2026, authorized the release of a collection of previously undisclosed communications, internal assessments, and whistleblower materials that she said expose Dr. Anthony Fauci’s role in directing millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars toward gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and efforts to obscure a possible laboratory origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) posted the materials under the title “Fauci Funded Wuhan Lab Research That Sparked COVID,” framing them as evidence of Fauci, then head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), funding dangerous coronavirus manipulation experiments in China while coordinating with intelligence officials to suppress dissenting views on the virus’s origins.

Gabbard stated in an accompanying message that the documents reveal how Fauci “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.” She described the release as fulfilling a commitment to transparency after years of alleged censorship and cover-ups.

According to the ODNI materials, Fauci oversaw NIAID funding that supported research on bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, including work described as gain-of-function — experiments that enhance a pathogen’s transmissibility or virulence. The documents allege this research contributed to the conditions that led to an unintentional lab leak sparking the global pandemic. They further claim Fauci promoted a specific paper for intelligence community consideration that advanced a natural-origin narrative while downplaying laboratory-related possibilities.

Internal communications reportedly show Fauci maintaining contact with intelligence agencies during origin assessments, creating what the release calls a “circular reporting loop” in which NIAID-funded scientists advised the intelligence community while aligned with Fauci’s preferred conclusions. Whistleblower testimony included in the trove describes pressure on analysts to align with the natural-origin hypothesis, with some facing career retaliation, including terminations or blocked promotions, for raising lab-leak concerns. Gabbard referred these retaliation claims to the Intelligence Community Inspector General.

The documents directly contradict Fauci’s 2024 congressional testimony, in which he stated he had no knowledge of or discussions with agencies such as the FBI, CIA, or DIA regarding viral research at Wuhan. Released correspondence allegedly shows ongoing interactions that the ODNI materials characterize as efforts to shape intelligence assessments away from a lab-related origin.

U.S. intelligence assessments on COVID-19 origins have remained divided. The FBI and Department of Energy have assessed with moderate-to-low confidence that an accidental laboratory incident is the most likely source. The CIA has assessed with low confidence that a research-related origin is more likely than a natural zoonotic spillover. Other agencies have reached no firm conclusion or leaned toward natural origin. China has maintained the virus emerged from a Wuhan market through animal-to-human transmission.

The release stems from a yearlong declassification review initiated under the Trump administration’s emphasis on greater transparency regarding pandemic decision-making and intelligence processes. It comes as Gabbard departs the DNI post, with President Trump appointing Bill Pulte as acting director.

Critics of the prior handling of COVID origins have long pointed to the proximity of the Wuhan Institute of Virology to the outbreak’s epicenter, its history of coronavirus research, and U.S. funding channeled through EcoHealth Alliance as raising serious questions about biosafety and accountability. The newly released materials add internal intelligence community perspectives and communications that supporters say strengthen the case for further congressional and independent scrutiny of Fauci’s NIAID programs and the intelligence community’s role in public messaging.

Fauci has previously rejected accusations of misleading Congress or orchestrating a cover-up, describing such claims as unfounded and maintaining that both natural and laboratory hypotheses remain under consideration, with evidence he believes favors natural transmission.

The full set of documents is available on the ODNI website here. The release is expected to fuel renewed debate over gain-of-function research oversight, U.S. funding of foreign labs, and the handling of early intelligence on pandemic origins. Gabbard framed the action as delivering long-overdue accountability, stating that after years of lies, censorship, and cover-ups, the American people deserve the truth.