FBI expands investigation into COVID-19 origins and Anthony Fauci

The FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice are expanding a federal investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Investigators are analyzing emails, phone records, and financial documents to determine if officials or scientists attempted to minimize or conceal information regarding the possibility that the virus originated from a laboratory incident in Wuhan, China.

The probe involves at least eight scientists, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. A key component of the investigation follows the case of Dr. David Morens, a former senior advisor to Fauci, who pleaded guilty in August 2026 to conspiracy charges related to evading federal rules for the preservation and provision of documents.

During previous Senate hearings, Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment rights over 100 times in response to questions regarding the government's pandemic management. A Senate committee subsequently voted to hold him in contempt of Congress after he declined to answer certain questions.