CIA Whistleblower James Erdman Accuses Anthony Fauci of Influencing COVID-19 Origins Probe

A CIA whistleblower told a Senate panel on Wednesday, May 13, that former top US health official Anthony Fauci improperly influenced intelligence assessments into the origins of COVID-19 by promoting experts who favored a natural-origin explanation over a potential laboratory leak in China.

James Erdman III, a CIA special operations officer, appeared publicly for the first time after being subpoenaed by the Senate Homeland Security Committee. During his testimony, Erdman alleged that Fauci “intentionally” helped shape intelligence community discussions surrounding the pandemic’s origins and contributed to what he described as a broader “cover-up.” Mexican President Sheinbaum Denies CNN Report on CIA Operations There.

What CIA Whistleblower James Erdman Revealed About Anthony Fauci’s Role in COVID-19 Origins Analysis

“Dr. Fauci’s role in the cover-up was intentional,” Erdman testified, claiming the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases provided “a conflicted list of curated subject matter experts, public health officials and scientists” to the US Intelligence Community.

According to Erdman, several of those scientists later participated in a February 2020 teleconference that led to the publication of “The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2,” a scientific paper that argued against the lab leak theory. Hantavirus Outbreak: 12 Hospital Staff in Netherlands Quarantined After Handling Patient Without Strict PPE Measures.

As a result, Erdman said: “The CIA and DNI analytic managers responsible for examining the origin of COVID made decisions inconsistent with the conclusions of subject matter experts and analytical tradecraft, consistently favoring the theory of zoonosis or natural origin.”

Alleged Interventions by Fauci

Erdman, who has worked at the CIA since 2013, told lawmakers that Fauci inserted himself into intelligence deliberations twice, first on Feb. 3, 2020, and again on June 4, 2021. He described a June 2021 email exchange in which a senior analyst raised concerns about Fauci “injecting himself” into the review process as a “subject matter expert.” Erdman also testified that Fauci had publicly denied expertise in coronaviruses while privately attempting to influence the investigation’s direction.

CIA Assessment and Internal Disputes

The officer referenced a 2023 CIA assessment that did not definitively conclude whether COVID-19 originated from a lab leak or natural transmission from animals to humans. “Six of the seven technical experts say, ‘Yep, we still think it’s a lab leak,'” Erdman said while describing internal deliberations. “And they were sticking to their guns. Management changed the analytic line.”

The 2023 assessment stated: “We may never precisely know the origin of SARS-CoV-2.” “‘Precisely’ is not a term analysts use,” Erdman testified. “They use words like ‘low confidence,’ ‘medium confidence.’ ‘Precisely’ is a word you use when you want to deliberately end discussion.”

Erdman denied reports that analysts had been bribed to alter their conclusions, saying: “There were no bribes.” He acknowledged, however, that analysts involved in the review received Exceptional Performance Awards worth about $1,500 each.

Allegations of Withheld Records and Surveillance

Erdman further alleged that the intelligence community withheld up to 2,000 pages of classified material related to COVID origins despite a 2023 law signed by former President Joe Biden requiring broader disclosure. He also accused the CIA of improperly monitoring the communications of personnel connected to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s Director’s Initiatives Group, as well as other whistleblowers.

“These were Americans being spied upon illegally while executing duties directed by the president and under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence,” Erdman said. “The CIA refused to provide information necessary to understand why analytic standards at the CIA were violated,” he added.

CIA Pushes Back Against Hearing

At the conclusion of the hearing, the CIA criticized the Senate committee for compelling Erdman’s public testimony. CIA spokeswoman Liz Lyons said the hearing amounted to “political theater” and noted that the agency had already assessed a lab leak as the most likely origin of the pandemic.

“The witness testifying today is not appearing as a whistleblower in pursuit of the truth, but instead in response to the subpoena issued by Chairman Paul,” Lyons said. “This proceeding amounts to nothing more than dishonest political theater masquerading as a congressional hearing. As the CIA has already assessed, COVID-19 most likely originated from a lab leak, and efforts to undermine that conclusion are disingenuous.”

Sen. Rand Paul defended Erdman during the hearing, saying the officer came forward “at great personal risk” because “the truth was being buried.” Meanwhile, Sen. Ron Johnson publicly demanded an apology from CIA Director John Ratcliffe after reading the agency’s statement aloud during the proceedings.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 14, 2026 08:03 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).