On her final day as US Director of National Intelligence or DNI on Thursday, Tulsi Gabbard released a tranche of declassified communications and documents alleging that former top US health official Anthony Fauci provided millions of US taxpayer dollars to fund gain-of-function research at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology, worked with what she described as “politicised career leadership” in the Intelligence Community to suppress the lab-leak origin theory of Covid-19, and lied to Congress under oath during a June 3, 2024 hearing of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.The release, Gabbard’s second major declassification effort in eight days, following her June 12, 2026, unveiling of records on more than 120 US-funded biological laboratories, reignites a politically and scientifically contested debate that has divided the US intelligence community, with the CIA, FBI, and Department of Energy variously assessing a lab-leak origin, while five other agencies have leaned toward natural spillover.Fauci has not publicly responded to the latest allegations, and Democratic members of the House Select Subcommittee in 2024 had earlier debunked the same set of claims as unsupported by the committee’s own evidence.“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 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,” Gabbard wrote on X.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 politicized elements… pic.twitter.com/ZMdliW4zyS— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) June 19, 2026Gabbard linked her X post to a release published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). All the allegations and links to supporting communications and documents can be accessed there.As previously reported by Reuters and Associated Press, Gabbard was stepping down as DNI because her husband had been diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer.What do the documents claim?The ODNI release alleges that Fauci had a pivotal role in providing funding to research linked to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. He also attempted to manipulate public discourse surrounding the origins of Covid-19, as alleged by the release. It also claimed that officials attempted to downplay the possibility that the virus could have originated from a laboratory incident.Also Read | Covid vaccines linked to lower risk of heart attacks and strokes, finds large US studyWhat Fauci said earlierPreviously, Fauci denied allegations that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.Story continues below this adDuring a June 3, 2024, hearing before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, Fauci claimed NIH “did not fund gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology” under the P3CO framework that is used by the agency for assessing such research, according to the official hearing transcript published by Congress.gov.The official hearing transcript further revealed that Fauci also denied claims that NIH-funded research contributed to the creation of SARS-CoV-2. According to him, viruses studied under an EcoHealth Alliance in the Wuhan Institute of Virology were genetically too different from SARS-CoV-2 to have been its predecessor.At the same hearing, Republican lawmakers also raised questions regarding whether research linked to the Wuhan Institute of Virology had been fully disclosed.What is the broader context?These allegations posed by Gabbard may reignite debate over the origins of Covid-19 which has been contestable both politically and scientifically since the early stages of the pandemic.Story continues below this adThey also bring into light long-running questions revolving around gain-of-function research, federal funding for scientific collaborations involving Chinese laboratories and the US government’s transparency regarding the pandemic.US intelligence agencies and scientific bodies have reached varying conclusions as to whether the virus emerged naturally through animal-to-human transmission or resulted from a laboratory-related incident.In January 2025, the CIA said Covid-19 was “more likely” to have originated from a laboratory than from natural sources, though it said the assessment was made with “low confidence” and that both explanations remained plausible, Reuters reported.(With inputs from agencies)The Express Global Desk at indianexpress.com which delivers authoritative, verified, and context-driven coverage of key international developments shaping global politics, policy, and migration trends. 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