CIA Accused of Obstructing COVID Origins Investigation

The former head of the Trump administration’s investigation into the origins of COVID-19 told Congress that the Central Intelligence Agency obstructed his work by withholding records, retaliating against personnel who cooperated with investigators, and monitoring communications involving whistleblowers, Christian Britschgi reported for Reason.

A congressional hearing on intelligence agency conduct during investigations into COVID-19 origins was held.

“This involved Americans allegedly being spied upon while carrying out duties directed by the president and under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence,” said James Erdman III during testimony before the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

Erdman also alleged that the CIA suppressed internal assessments favoring the theory that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory leak and retaliated against analysts who supported that conclusion.

In January 2025, the CIA — under Director John Ratcliffe — publicly stated that it assessed a laboratory leak as the most likely origin of COVID-19, after previously declining to take a definitive position.

Earlier unclassified reports released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence stated that four US intelligence agencies assessed a natural origin as more likely, while one agency favored the lab-leak theory.

Three agencies remained undecided.