A CIA operations officer provided explosive sworn testimony Wednesday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, accusing Dr. Anthony Fauci of directly intervening in the intelligence community’s review of COVID-19’s origins.
James Erdman III, a veteran CIA special operations officer, told senators that in August 2021 the intelligence community was on the verge of concluding the virus most likely leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China. Days later, that position reversed with no clear explanation.
Erdman stated under oath: “Dr. Fauci’s role in the cover-up was intentional. Dr. Fauci influenced the analytical process and findings by leveraging his position to ensure the IC consulted with a conflicted list of curated subject matter experts, public health officials, and scientists.”
BREAKING: A CIA whistleblower just testified UNDER OATH that Anthony Fauci DIRECTLY meddled with intelligence agencies to cover up the COVID lab leak.
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) May 13, 2026
Every day that Fauci remains free is an INJUSTICE.
Per the whistleblower, the CIA was on the verge of calling it a lab leak —… pic.twitter.com/V6c4Xx67zd
He added that intelligence leaders “purposefully downplayed the lab origin” and “knew the virus came from Wuhan but pushed the natural origin narrative anyway.” Erdman testified that CIA scientists had circulated papers noting “all the conditions were present for a lab leak,” yet senior analysts ultimately buried or softened those assessments.
Senator Rand Paul pressed Erdman on the timeline. Paul described the Biden administration’s final moves as a “clean-up operation,” noting: “Scientific analysts concluded multiple times between 2021 and 2023 that a lab leak was the most likely origin of COVID-19. Yet those conclusions never shaped the official narrative… It was not until after the 2024 election that the outgoing Biden administration directed the CIA to issue an assessment not because of new intelligence, but so officials could walk out of the door claiming there was nothing left to find.”
Sen. Rand Paul: "CIA scientists from an early time…were concluding that a lab leak was the most likely hypothesis?"
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 13, 2026
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/qBp8BCrYvg
Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH) demanded accountability. He told the witness: “All these hearings are important. What you said is super critical… But where is the accountability? This is what I hear from my constituents all over Ohio… they want to see the perp walks.”
Moreno continued: “Anthony Fauci is sitting sipping margaritas somewhere with his multi-million dollar financial success as a result of duping the American people into putting an experimental vaccine into their bodies or risk losing their jobs. He’s not accountable to anybody.”
Senator Bernie Moreno just demanded the one thing everyone has been waiting for on Covid:
— Overton (@overton_news) May 13, 2026
“Where is the accountability?”
He told the CIA whistleblower James Erdman III that hearings are nice — but the people want perp walks, starting with Anthony Fauci.
MORENO: “All these… pic.twitter.com/uV0i7mpNmF
Senators Ron Johnson and Rand Paul pushed back after the CIA labeled the public hearing “political theater.” Johnson stated: “This committee needs an apology! This is not political theater. This is what the American people need to see.” Paul added: “Closed-door testimony doesn’t provide oversight. Public testimony provides oversight.”
? NOW: Sens. Ron Johnson and Rand Paul go off on the CIA for calling their COVID coverup hearing with a CIA whistleblower "political theater"
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 13, 2026
JOHNSON: "This committee needs an apology! This is not political theater. This is what the American people need to see."
PAUL: "The CIA… pic.twitter.com/B4KVfuM8gP
Fox News reporter Bill Melugin noted the complete absence of Senate Democrats from the Homeland Security Committee hearing, despite several members serving on the panel. One Democrat, Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, walked past the media setup but did not enter the room.
Fox’s Bill Melugin just exposed the stunning no-show by Senate Democrats at the CIA whistleblower hearing on Covid.
— Overton (@overton_news) May 13, 2026
Not a SINGLE Democrat was in the room — even though several sit on the Homeland Security Committee.
MELUGIN: “There are no Senate Democrats inside of that hearing… pic.twitter.com/dERE0QpHWY
Erdman also raised separate concerns about oversight of declassification efforts. He claimed the CIA “took back 40 boxes of JFK and MK-Ultra files” that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was reviewing.
The whistleblower further alleged the agency “illegally monitored the computer and phone usage” of investigators working on the COVID-19 origins probe under presidential direction. He said: “These were Americans being spied on illegally while carrying out duties directed by the President and under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence.”
CIA whistleblower claims the agency “took back 40 boxes of JFK and MK-Ultra files” that Tulsi Gabbard was reviewing for declassification.
— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) May 13, 2026
The whistleblower also alleges the CIA “illegally monitored the computer and phone usage” of Gabbard’s investigators during the probe into… pic.twitter.com/AIRfS2utQE
The testimony aligns with earlier official reviews of the pandemic’s beginnings.
It builds on the White House’s comprehensive lab-leak assessment released in April 2025 and Department of Defense and Defense Intelligence Agency reports indicating the Biden Pentagon may have suppressed aspects of the origins investigation.
It also connects to prior reporting on gain-of-function research and public statements downplaying alternative theories, including pieces examining the experiment that may have started the pandemic.
The hearing underscores ongoing scrutiny of how federal agencies assessed and communicated the virus’s origins more than six years after the first cases emerged in Wuhan.
No immediate response from Fauci or the CIA was available at the time of publication beyond the agency’s statement criticizing the subpoena process. Further developments in related inquiries are expected.
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