FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino made waves Wednesday evening when he revealed the bureau is actively investigating a possible cover-up surrounding the origin of COVID-19—just as a new strain begins to make headlines across the country.
“As we read and process reports of a new COVID strain emerging, I want you to know that we are actively investigating, in multiple field offices, the cover-up of the origin of the COVID virus,” Bongino wrote in a post on X. “The American people deserve answers.”
While he didn’t confirm the existence of a formal criminal probe or name any individuals under scrutiny, this is the most direct acknowledgment yet from a high-ranking official that the FBI still sees serious, unresolved questions surrounding the pandemic’s origin story.
It comes as a new variant, provisionally named NB.1.8.1, has been identified in several U.S. states. Health authorities have not labeled it a “variant of concern,” but the timing has amplified public interest in what really happened in Wuhan back in late 2019.
Bongino’s comment is a sharp departure from the narrative that dominated early pandemic coverage. Back then, media outlets and many government officials dismissed the idea of a lab leak as a conspiracy theory. But by 2023, even then-FBI Director Christopher Wray stated that the agency had assessed with “moderate confidence” that the virus most likely originated from a lab incident in Wuhan.
China has, of course, denied the claim from day one. The Chinese Communist Party insists the theory is politically motivated and lacks evidence. Yet Beijing has refused to allow a thorough international investigation into the Wuhan Institute of Virology—a suspicious red flag for many lawmakers and scientists alike.
Bongino’s statement also dovetails with growing skepticism in Congress. The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic has continued investigating whether the federal government helped suppress the lab leak theory in order to protect diplomatic ties with China—or shield powerful domestic bureaucrats from accountability.
One name that continues to surface is Dr. Anthony Fauci. The former White House advisor and longtime head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has repeatedly denied any cover-up. But Republicans on the committee aren’t convinced. They’ve grilled Fauci in several high-profile hearings over whether taxpayer-funded grants helped support risky gain-of-function research in Wuhan.
Fauci has maintained that the NIH did not fund any such research. But a growing body of emails and scientific correspondence suggests that behind-the-scenes conversations may have painted a different picture—one focused on damage control, not transparency.
Meanwhile, Bongino’s rise within the FBI has added new energy to efforts to restore public trust in the bureau. A former NYPD cop and Secret Service agent-turned-commentator, he was appointed deputy director earlier this year by FBI Director Kash Patel. Since then, Bongino has embraced a direct, no-nonsense approach—often bypassing legacy media and taking updates straight to the public via social media.
With Bongino now signaling that the COVID origin story is far from closed, the political stakes are massive. If the investigation uncovers deliberate efforts to hide key facts from the public, it could reignite a firestorm over the federal government’s pandemic response—and the media’s role in silencing dissenting voices.
As fears swirl over a possible new wave of infections, the question remains: Did Americans suffer and sacrifice while elites lied and covered their tracks?
The FBI says it’s digging for the truth. And this time, they say they won’t stop until they find it.
