Screenshot via social media
Outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard sparked fury on Friday by going all in on the Ukraine biolabs conspiracy theory, which Russian leader Vladimir Putin cited as a reason for his invasion of Ukraine.
“Today, I’m releasing new evidence of long-standing U.S. Government funding of more than 120 bio labs in over 30 countries. Now, these bio labs include labs in places like Ukraine, which could be at risk of compromise due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. In fact, the intelligence community had previously warned that a U.S.-funded bio lab in Ukraine likely housed dangerous pathogens and remained vulnerable to long-standing threats of Russian attack, seizure, or damage,” Gabbard began in a clip released to social media. She added:
Despite the obvious potential for catastrophic global impact research on dangerous pathogens in biolabs can have, 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 U.S.-funded and supported biolabs, and threatened those who attempted to expose the truth.
Gabbard’s disclosure sparked a fierce debate on social media, with MAGA supporters — including members of Congress — singing her praises and national security experts accusing her of pushing Russian propaganda. Putin claimed his Russian invasion of Ukraine was necessary in part to remove the biolabs, which he said make chemical weapons, from the country.
The Financial Times’s chief correspondent in Ukraine, Christopher Miller, shared the clip and added, “Before she departs, Gabbard uses her platform and access to intelligence to perpetuate one of her and Russia’s favorite conspiracy theories, disingenuously twisting facts, deliberately misinforming the public and delivering a gift to the Kremlin.”
The New York Post covered the video and spoke to Josh Segal, a noted expert on biological weapons, who said, “I am really confused as to why the DNI released something giving new life to a misleading narrative the entire intel community has known for decades to be a Russian trope and that the Trump administration worked hard to crush in its first term.”
“Their labs are not now and were never secret, and do zero questionable work. Cooperation with the US started as a highly publicized effort to convert former Soviet research facilities that may have been connected to the USSR’s covert BW program and involved Russian participation until a decade ago,” Segal added, noting, “This conversion program also was responsible for destroying 12 tons of weaponized anthrax the Russians abandoned on Resurrection Island in the Aral Sea.”
Prominent Russian pro-democracy activist Garry Kasparov replied to Gabbard, “Loyal to the end. To Putin.”
Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) replied, “As far as I can tell, Tulsi’s big ‘secret biolab’ bombshell is recycled Kremlin propaganda. These labs were never secret. The U.S. spent decades funding biosafety and disease-surveillance work abroad under Nunn-Lugar, with the facility lists posted publicly by the State Department and our own embassy in Kyiv.”
“Russia invented the ‘secret bioweapons’ spin in 2022 to help justify invading Ukraine. Our own intelligence flagged it as disinformation. Now Tulsi is laundering that exact line, while conveniently forgetting the first Trump administration funded this same research. Nothing was hidden and the only thing being manufactured here is the coverup. Tulsi, don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” Levin concluded.
Shashank Joshi, The Economist’s Washington bureau chief, added, “‘Including in Ukraine.’ Conspiracy theory masquerading as intelligence.”
MAGA influencer Laura Loomer went off on some prominent figures on her own side, who quickly embraced Gabbard’s claims, “Russia is playing the GOP like a fiddle right now. Crazy to see members of Congress entertain this biolab propaganda while knowing Russia has been offering to supply Iran with NUKES to kill Americans.”
“ODNI is being praised by Russian media today. The same Russian media that spreads lies that Trump killed Charlie Kirk and lies that Trump is a pedophile. Disgraceful. Zero self awareness,” Loomer concluded.
Below are some more reactions, including praise from MAGA-world:
And, now the praise:
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