Whistleblower Tells Congress the CIA Illegally Spied on White House Officials Investigating COVID Origins
The former head of the Trump administration investigation into the origins of COVID-19 told Congress today that the CIA actively hindered his work by withholding records, retaliating against agency personnel who cooperated with the investigation, and surveilling investigators’ computer and phone use and contact with whistleblowers.
“These were Americans who were directed by the president and were illegally surveilled while performing missions under the director of National Intelligence,” said James Erdman III, the current CIA officer who is leading the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) investigation into the origins of COVID. said The Senate Homeland Security Committee meets today.
Additionally, Erdman claimed that the CIA concealed its own analysts’ assessment that Covid was caused by a laboratory leak and retaliated against them when they came to that conclusion.
In January 2025, the CIA, now led by new Trump-appointed director John Ratcliffe, said publicly now considers a lab leak the most likely starting point for COVID. Previously, the agency was a neutral organization.
Under the Biden administration, ODNI has released two unclassified summaries of the intelligence community’s assessment of the origins of the outbreak. Both noted that four agencies most likely assessed the natural origin of Covid-19, while another assessed a laboratory leak as a more likely cause of the pandemic. The three agencies could not say whether a laboratory leak or a naturally occurring leak was more likely.
In his testimony today, Erdman said the broader intelligence community’s initial reluctance to conclude a lab leak was the product of the influence of former COVID-19 adviser Anthony Fauci, who compiled lists of scientists agencies could consult.
Erdman said these scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology plausibly specialized in gain-of-function research that led to the emergence of Covid-19 and were therefore not impartial observers.
In 2023, Congress unanimously adopted legislation Requesting that ODNI release the intelligence community’s findings on the origins of COVID. In response to this legislation, the Biden administration released a 9-page, partially redacted summary of already released intelligence.
Erdman testified today that ODNI, under new director Tulsi Gabbard, was in the process of declassifying nearly 2,000 documents related to the origins of COVID, but that work was slowed by the CIA and State Department’s refusal to turn over requested documents.
He also said the CIA fired a contractor the day after he spoke with ODNI investigators.
“The deep state is still resisting Congress’ authority to release documents on the origins of COVID,” said Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.), who chairs the Homeland Security committee at today’s hearing.
Paul has long maintained that Covid-19 was likely caused by a laboratory leak. He was introduced legislation This would subject gain-of-function research proposals to more rigorous risk-benefit review by an independent panel.
The Trump administration also issued an executive order last year calling for a policy to be issued by September 2025 that effectively bans gain-of-function research. No such policy has been published yet.
At today’s hearing, Erdman said resistance to oversight from both intelligence agencies and public health officials has prevented the administration from imposing new restrictions on gain-of-function research.
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