‘Lies. Disinformation. Censorship’: Gabbard releases ‘never-before-seen’ docs to prove Fauci helped bury COVID files

Tulsi Gabbard, the outgoing United States Director of National Intelligence, dropped a video on X Friday (Jun 19) laying out what she's calling never-before-seen proof that former Chief Medical Adviser Anthony Fauci used politicised intelligence officials to keep the COVID-19 origin story under wraps. She claims that Fauci sent millions in federal money to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for "gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV)", then later helped steer the intelligence community away from concluding that this same research likely caused the pandemic.

In a post on X, Gabbard's office stated that, "Lies. Disinformation. Censorship. That was Fauci's playbook." The post added that "On her final day as DNI, Tulsi Gabbard is executing POTUS’ priorities and taking on the Deep State, delivering on Josh Hawley's COVID Origins Act of 2023 and exposing the truth the American people were denied under the previous administration."

According to the DNI office, the documents released by them paint a fairly specific picture of how Fauci allegedly hid the truth from the American people. " I’m releasing never-before-seen communications and documents exposing howDrFauciprovided millions in US taxpayer dollars to fund dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab, worked withpoliticisedelements within the Intelligence Community tosuppress the truth about his actions and hidethe virus’ lab-leak origins, and lied to Congress while under oath in 2024," said Gabbard, posting a video. "It’s time you know the truth," she added. https://x.com/ODNIgov/status/2067793178799767876?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2067793178799767876%7Ctwgr%5E7befb97908d9e4c83b350475a37c2f0ea3980772%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wionews.com%2Fworld%2Flies-disinformation-censorship-gabbard-releases-never-before-seen-docs-to-prove-he-helped-bury-covid-lab-leak-evidence-china-wuhan-lab-1781858814910

Fauci, by her account, didn't just fund the research; he also fed his own preferred scientists into the intelligence community's review process, and those scientists' conclusions ended up forming the basis of official assessments. Those assessments were then pointed to publicly as neutral, independent science, even though the chain led back to people Fauci had picked himself.

Fauci lied under oath?

She also alleged that Fauci lied under oath. In 2024, lawmakers on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic asked Fauci point-blank whether he'd talked with agencies like the CIA, FBI or DIA about viral research. At the time, he said no, not that he was aware of, anyway. Gabbard's team argues the newly released correspondence contradicts that answer directly.

The shocking release by Gabbard's office follows a year-long declassification push, which the outgoing DNI chief has tied to the Trump administration's broader transparency push.

Her office claims that it has gathered testimony from intelligence community staffers who say they paid a price for questioning the official line on the virus's origins. "During this process, ODNI officials gathered testimony from multiple IC whistleblowers who reported retaliation for challenging the IC’s manipulation of intelligence on the virus’ origins."

According to the press release, one contractor claims he was fired within days of going to ODNI as a whistleblower. Others described being told, more or less, that promotions would go to people who didn't rock the boat. "Managers reminded analysts who advocated for the lab-leak hypothesis that leadership would determine which analysts would be promoted. The message was clear: disagreement with the manipulated finding would derail careers."

"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," Gabbard said in her statement, casting the episode as part of a larger pattern of officials protecting themselves at the public's expense.

"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."

Those whistleblower claims have reportedly been sent to the intelligence community's inspector general. Fauci is yet to respond to the allegations publicly.