A Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) whistleblower has testified that Dr. Anthony Fauci used his position to get the intelligence community to drop its initial conclusion that COVID-19 originated in a Wuhan lab.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) whistleblower has testified before the Senate Homeland Security Committee that Dr. Anthony Fauci pushed to cover up the lab leak origins of COVID-19. 📺 DETAIL: James Erdman, an active CIA officer, testified before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday, alleging that Fauci pressured intelligence officials to accept the “natural origins” hypothesis of COVID-19. In August 2021, the intelligence community (IC) was prepared to accept the Wuhan lab leak theory of COVID’s origins. However, just days before the IC was set to announce its position, Fauci, in his capacity as head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), intervened and “significantly influenced” officials to abandon their initial position. He allegedly “injected himself” into the process by consulting a “curated” group of experts. The announcement was scheduled for August 12, 2021, but on August 17, the IC’s position had changed. “Dr. Fauci’s role in the cover-up was intentional,” Erdman told Senators on Capitol Hill. It was also heard that the agency continues to block the release of documents containing information about COVID-19’s origins. Fauci has not yet responded to Erdman’s allegations. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “Dr. Fauci influenced the analytical process and findings by leveraging his position to ensure the IC [Intelligence Community] consulted with a conflicted list of curated subject matter experts, public health officials, and scientists.” – James Erdman 🎯 IMPACT: Erdman’s testimony is likely to reignite concerns about transparency and oversight in public health institutions. In 2024, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who chaired the hearing of Erdman’s testimony on Wednesday, flagged a 2018 funding grant proposal linking Fauci and the National Institutes of Health to the Wuhan Institute. This testimony ties into concerns about U.S.-funded gain-of-function research. In May 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order targeting gain-of-function research in multiple adversarial nations. Earlier this week, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence announced an investigation into more than 120 overseas biolabs funded by U.S. taxpayers. |
.@SenRandPaul: "CIA scientists from an early time…were concluding that a lab leak was the most likely hypothesis?"
CIA whistleblower James Erdman III: "There were agencies within the IC circulating papers…that said that all the conditions were present for a lab leak." pic.twitter.com/ozjQ59PORJ
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 13, 2026
Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.