Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 05:31pm on 19 Jun 2026,Friday Health & Wellness
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released newly declassified records alleging former NIAID chief Anthony Fauci influenced government assessments on COVID-19 origins and maintained close contact with intelligence officials during reviews of the pandemic. The ODNI claims communications, whistleblower complaints and intelligence records raise questions about Fauci’s testimony to Congress, gain-of-function research funding linked to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and the role of NIAID-funded scientists in assessments challenging the lab-leak theory. The documents also cite allegations that analysts supporting a laboratory-origin hypothesis faced professional repercussions. Fauci has previously denied covering up COVID-19 origins. The disclosures intensify a long-running debate over the pandemic’s beginnings.
