Tulsi Gabbard, on her final day as US spy chief, stirred a hornet's nest, alleging that top US scientist Anthony Fauci funded the research lab in China's Wuhan at the centre of the Covid-19 lab-leak theory. Releasing what she called "never-before-seen" classified files, Gabbard said the documents reveal that Fauci provided millions of dollars to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) for gain-of-function research involving bat coronaviruses and also influenced intel assessments on Covid-19 origins. During the pandemic, Dr Fauci emerged as the face of America's fight against coronavirus, appearing in daily briefings and bringing out safety guidelines. An epidemic expert, Fauci served as then-President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser. However, his image got sullied when he faced criminal charges for allegedly lying to the US Congress about funding risky research in Wuhan.Date: June 03, 2024 Show more Show less