On Thursday, June 18, 2026, Tulsi Gabbard, outgoing Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in the United States, made public hundreds of pages of internal communications alleging that Dr. Anthony Fauci manipulated intelligence agencies to dismiss the lab leak theory about the origin of COVID-19. This release came on Gabbard’s final day leading the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

In a video accompanying the documents, Gabbard accused Fauci, former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), of leveraging his connections with agencies like the CIA to shield himself from scrutiny and steer conclusions toward a natural origin of the virus. “After years of lies, censorship, and cover-ups, the American people deserve transparency, truth, and accountability,” she stated.

The released emails reportedly show intelligence analysts systematically following Fauci’s recommendations and relying on experts he endorsed, while ignoring dissenting voices supporting the lab leak hypothesis. According to Gabbard, senior officials praised Fauci as “an impartial guide to the true coronavirus experts,” deliberately sidelining those who challenged his narrative.

Gabbard also accused Fauci of lying under oath during his 2024 Congressional testimony, where he repeatedly denied communicating with intelligence agencies about COVID-19. “The newly released documents directly contradict his testimony,” she said. She further revealed that whistleblowers within her office reported retaliation and professional obstacles against analysts who supported the lab leak theory. “The message was clear: either you aligned or you were punished,” Gabbard emphasized.

This disclosure adds to evidence presented on June 11 by Republican Senator Rand Paul, who accused Fauci of handpicking experts advising the intelligence community to favor the natural origin theory. The timing and supporting documents increase pressure on the former federal health advisor.

Gabbard’s move fits a broader pattern cultivated by former President Donald Trump since his first term: a fight against what he calls the “deep state.” For Trump and his allies, pandemic management by officials like Fauci was not a scientific error but a deliberate operation to protect bureaucratic interests and conceal U.S. funding of gain-of-function research in China. This narrative, embraced by the Republican base, legitimizes a political purge accelerating as Trump’s term nears its end.

Notably, Gabbard’s release coincides with her departure from the ODNI and the arrival of her interim successor, Bill Pulte, on Thursday, June 18. Pulte, a close Trump ally with no confirmed intelligence experience, has been tasked with reviewing staff and considering cuts that could affect hundreds of employees. His appointment reinforces perceptions that the White House aims to install loyalists at the helm of intelligence services, ready to investigate the president’s political opponents.

For those following the evolving story of COVID-19’s origins and the intersection of politics and intelligence, these revelations underscore the ongoing tensions within U.S. institutions and the challenges of transparency in a polarized environment.