US Intel chief orders probe into 120 foreign biolabs funded by Washington

US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has launched an investigation into more than 120 biological laboratories abroad that have received US taxpayer funding, as part of a review of so-called “gain-of-function” research.

Gabbard said her office is working “to identify where these labs are, what pathogens they contain and what ‘research’ is being conducted to end dangerous gain-of-function research that threatens the health and well-being of the American people and the world,” Caliber.Az reports via US media.

“The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the catastrophic global impact research on dangerous pathogens in biolabs can have,” she added, also alleging that “politicians, so-called health professionals, like Dr Fauci, and entities within the Biden administration’s national security team lied to the American people about the existence of these US-funded and supported biolabs and threatened those who attempted to expose the truth.”

According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the review covers facilities in more than 30 countries, including over 40 in Ukraine, some of which are described as potentially “at risk of compromise” due to the ongoing war with Russia.

The research in question falls under the US Defence Department’s Cooperative Threat Reduction programme.

The investigation follows a broader policy shift under President Donald Trump, including an executive order restricting federal funding for gain-of-function research overseas.

Former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci has previously defended such research in limited circumstances, arguing its potential benefits outweigh risks, though critics continue to question oversight and transparency in overseas funding.

By Aghakazim Guliyev