Paul Details Alleged Coordination Between Scientists and U.S. Intelligence on COVID-19 Origins

A Kentucky senator’s ongoing investigation into the origins of COVID-19 has produced newly released communications suggesting that prominent virologists privately expressed skepticism about the natural origin theory they publicly endorsed. The documents, obtained through Paul’s committee work, show that authors of a widely-cited March 2020 scientific paper assigned substantially different probability assessments to the lab-leak hypothesis when communicating privately, according to his account of the material.

Kristian Andersen, one of the paper’s principal authors, privately placed the likelihood of laboratory origin at 30 percent, while colleague Eddie Holmes initially suggested 20 percent before revising downward to 10 percent, the records indicate. Andersen additionally referenced what he characterized as “smoking(ish) guns” and expressed discomfort with conclusions he would later present publicly, Paul stated based on the released Slack messages.

The investigation further alleges that the same researchers maintained direct communication channels with both intelligence community officials and National Institutes of Health leadership throughout the pandemic. According to Paul’s account of the documents, Andersen anticipated receiving guidance from an intelligence handler, while Holmes referenced a Chinese contact he identified as “my spy” in internal communications.

Paul asserts that Dr. Anthony Fauci coordinated the researchers’ activities beginning in January 2020, before the “Proximal Origin” paper achieved prominence in public health discussions. The senator contends that Fauci’s private diary entries from late January 2020 indicate he viewed the wet market as an amplification source rather than the original source of viral transmission, contradicting the subsequent public messaging about the origins question.

Documents released by Paul’s office show that the Central Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence contacted prominent coronavirologist Ralph Baric in 2015 to discuss coronavirus adaptation mechanisms. Baric subsequently briefed intelligence officials in January 2020 about the possibility of laboratory origin, weeks before such theories faced widespread public dismissal, according to Paul’s account.

Baric provided a voluntary transcribed interview to Paul’s committee staff in which he confirmed that proposed furin cleavage site research in a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency proposal would have been conducted under his supervision. He additionally acknowledged participation in the February 1 call that produced the “Proximal Origin” paper, though he reportedly could not explain the circumstances of his involvement.

Paul’s investigation also addresses Peter Daszak, who led the World Health Organization’s origins investigation mission. U.S. Customs and Border Protection flagged Daszak as an “extremely high person of interest” before his February 2021 return from the WHO mission, citing 15 years of collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The FBI directed CBP to abandon a planned search three days before Daszak’s arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to Paul’s released documents.

The senator additionally referenced government seizures of biological materials, including coronavirus samples, smuggled by Chinese-linked researchers into the United States. Two NIH virologists faced charges this year for attempting to smuggle monkeypox into the country, Paul noted as part of his broader concern about biosecurity protocols within the virological research community.

Fauci is scheduled to testify before Paul’s committee under subpoena on July 29 at 8:30 a.m. Paul stated that additional documents will continue to be released on his website, The Reading Room, asserting that Americans have access to the underlying evidence independent of the scheduled hearing.