WASHINGTON, USA — The Trump administration has intensified its push behind the theory that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, publishing a detailed statement Friday, April 18, 2025 that accuses federal health agencies and intelligence officials of deliberately suppressing evidence and misleading the American public.
In a newly launched White House webpage described as an exposé, the administration argues that key U.S. institutions — including the National Institutes of Health, the World Health Organization, and the office of Anthony Fauci — actively obstructed inquiries into the virus’s origins.
The site cites taxpayer-funded research, congressional investigations, and internal agency communications to support its claims.
“Public health officials often mislead the American people through conflicting messaging, knee-jerk reactions, and a lack of transparency,” the statement reads.
“Most egregiously, the federal government demonised alternative treatments and disfavored narratives, such as the lab leak theory, in a shameful effort to coerce and control the American people’s health decisions.”
DOJ, CIA, and a Renewed Focus on Wuhan
The renewed emphasis follows a recently declassified CIA report assessing that COVID-19 “most likely originated” from a laboratory incident in Wuhan — while simultaneously conceding it holds only “low confidence” in the conclusion.
The report, which reiterates that both lab-based and natural origins remain plausible, reflects a reevaluation of existing data rather than the emergence of new intelligence.
John Ratcliffe, sworn in last week as CIA director, framed the release as a matter of transparency.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo echoed this sentiment, telling Politico, “We weren’t cherry-picking the evidence… Our judgments were supported by an enormous amount of evidence that continues to grow.”
China swiftly rejected the report’s conclusion.
“We firmly oppose the politicisation and stigmatisation of the source of the virus,” said Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington.
Fauci, Pardoned and Targeted
The statement singles out Dr. Anthony Fauci, accusing him of promoting “the preferred narrative that COVID-19 originated naturally.”
Dr. Fauci, who retired in 2022 after decades as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, received a sweeping preemptive pardon from President Joe Biden in the final days of his presidency.
The pardon, which covers actions from 2014 onward, shields him from potential legal exposure related to COVID-era research.
The administration’s webpage claims this pardon has “fuelled suspicion” of a broader effort to conceal wrongdoing related to federally funded gain-of-function research overseas.
It also targets EcoHealth Alliance, a U.S.-based non-profit that collaborated with Chinese researchers in pre-pandemic coronavirus studies.
The Department of Justice has reportedly launched an investigation into EcoHealth’s funding and compliance.
Congressional Momentum and Political Stakes
Representative Brad Wenstrup, chair of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, opened the administration’s report by stating, “The possibility that COVID-19 emerged because of a laboratory or research-related accident is not a conspiracy theory.”
Dr. Fauci, in earlier testimony before the subcommittee, maintained his position that a natural origin remains most likely.
“I have kept an open mind throughout the entire process,” he said, “despite the fact that I felt then, and still do, that the most likely origin is a natural occurrence.”
The House Oversight Committee is expected to ramp up hearings, issue subpoenas, and pursue further declassification of documents in the coming months.
The politically charged environment surrounding the origins debate is likely to persist, with the 2024–25 election cycle amplifying partisan divisions.
Broader Implications
The administration’s sharp rhetoric and the CIA report’s release come as part of a broader effort to reassess the federal response to the pandemic, including the role of public health agencies, international collaboration, and transparency.
While the intelligence community remains divided, the lab-leak theory has steadily gained traction within Republican circles and segments of the scientific community calling for further investigation.
Critics, however, warn that politicising the issue risks eroding public trust in scientific institutions and exacerbating tensions with China at a time of heightened geopolitical strain.
As the debate enters a new phase, the central question of COVID-19’s origin — and the accountability that may follow — remains unresolved, but now firmly entangled with questions of governance, trust, and global health security.
