On her final day as the United States Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard released a collection of newly declassified documents and communications that she said reveal Dr Anthony Fauci’s involvement in several controversial aspects of the COVID-19 origins debate. The documents were made public by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), which claimed they provide new details about funding for coronavirus research in China and interactions between Fauci and intelligence officials during the pandemic.

According to the ODNI, Dr Fauci, while serving as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), directed millions of dollars in US taxpayer funding toward gain-of-function research involving bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. The office alleged that the research later became linked to the theory that COVID-19 originated from an accidental laboratory leak.

The ODNI also claimed that Fauci worked with what it described as politicised elements within the US intelligence community to limit the release of information related to the origins of the virus and his role in supporting the research.

Announcing the release, Gabbard made a series of allegations against the former top health official. She stated, "Today, on my final day as Director of National Intelligence, I'm releasing never-before-seen communications and documents exposing how Dr Fauci provided millions in US taxpayer dollars to fund dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab, worked with politicised 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. It's time you know the truth."

The ODNI said the documents support claims that Fauci funded research involving bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The office further alleged that this research is now widely viewed as the source of an unintentional laboratory leak that led to the global COVID-19 pandemic. It also accused Fauci of cooperating with senior intelligence officials to prevent information regarding the virus’s origins from becoming public.

Gabbard said the public deserved greater transparency after years of controversy surrounding the pandemic. She stated, "The COVID-19 pandemic caused tremendous hardship and pain for millions of our fellow Americans and for countless people around the world. After years of lies, censorship, and cover-ups, the American people deserve transparency, truth, and accountability."

She also accused government officials of deliberately concealing information from the public. Referring to the actions described in the declassified material, Gabbard said, "The tactics used to hide the truth are straight from the deep state playbook: politicised 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. It's time the American people learn the real story."

According to the ODNI, the documents were identified through a year-long declassification review carried out under President Donald Trump’s transparency initiative. The office said the review was designed to examine government records connected to the pandemic and the ongoing debate over its origins.

The ODNI also reported that intelligence community whistleblowers provided testimony during the review process. These individuals allegedly claimed they faced retaliation after raising concerns about official intelligence assessments related to COVID-19. According to the office, some analysts who supported the lab-leak theory experienced professional consequences for expressing views that differed from the prevailing assessments.

The release stated that Fauci maintained close working relationships with intelligence officials throughout the pandemic. It claimed that he held multiple roles at the same time, serving as a government-funded researcher, an adviser to intelligence agencies, and one of the most prominent public voices on pandemic-related policies and guidance.

Another allegation made by the ODNI concerns what it described as a “self-serving circular reporting loop.” According to the office, NIAID-funded scientists influenced intelligence community assessments regarding the origins of COVID-19. Those same assessments were later cited publicly as evidence against the lab-leak theory. The ODNI argued that this process created a cycle in which information from connected sources reinforced itself.

The office also claimed that correspondence contained in the declassified material conflicts with Fauci’s testimony before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in 2024. During that testimony, Fauci was asked whether he had communicated with intelligence agencies regarding viral research before, during, or after the pandemic. In response, he stated, “not to my knowledge about COVID.”

According to the whistleblower accounts cited by the ODNI, intelligence analysts who supported the possibility of a laboratory leak faced marginalisation, intimidation, and setbacks in their careers. The office said these claims form part of the broader evidence collected during the review process.

The release also noted that Fauci received a preemptive pardon from former President Joe Biden during the final hours of Biden’s administration in January 2025. The mention of the pardon was included as part of the background provided in the ODNI’s statement accompanying the declassified documents.

The publication of the documents is expected to intensify the long-running debate over the origins of COVID-19 and the role played by US government agencies during the pandemic. The release has also renewed scrutiny of Dr Fauci’s actions, his interactions with intelligence officials, and the funding of coronavirus research conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.