White House Updates COVID.gov to Reflect Support for Lab Leak Theory

With no definitive evidence and limited access to raw data, scientific discussion around the origins of COVID-19 has largely relied on circumstantial evidence.

In October 2021, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a declassified report summarizing the intelligence community’s views on the pandemic’s origins. While the report leaned toward a natural spillover, it acknowledged that opinions were divided. A follow-up declassified report released in 2023 reaffirmed that most U.S. intelligence agencies remained split on the issue. However, there was broad consensus that the virus was unlikely to have been developed as a biological weapon and that Chinese leaders were unaware of the virus before the pandemic began.

The newly updated COVID.gov splash page now features a photo of Dr. Anthony Fauci alongside the pardon he received from former President Joe Biden, which covered "any offenses." The page also accuses federal agencies, including the NIH and HHS, of violating transparency laws and obstructing cooperation with congressional investigations. However, these agencies complied with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and responded to calls to testify before lawmakers.

The site also challenges the effectiveness of public health measures like social distancing, masking, and lockdowns, and criticizes the response of New York officials during the pandemic.

In 2024, Dr. Fauci addressed these allegations in testimony before Congress, firmly denying claims that he influenced research or attempted to cover up the lab leak theory.

“The accusation that I bribed scientists with millions in grant money to change their conclusions is absolutely false and preposterous,” Fauci stated during the June 2024 hearing. “I had no input into the content of the published paper.”

He added: “The second issue is the false claim that I tried to cover up the possibility of a lab origin. In fact, the truth is quite the opposite.”

This is not the first time the White House has voiced its position on COVID-19’s origins. In January, former President Donald Trump said the pandemic had strained his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“But I like President Xi very much,” Trump said at the World Economic Forum. “We always had a good relationship. It was very strained with COVID coming out of Wuhan. Obviously, that strained it. I’m sure it strained it with a lot of people, but that strained our relationship.”