Federal intel watchdog says CIA did not fully comply with oversight requests tied to COVID-19 origins probe

A federal inspector general overseeing the intelligence community said the CIA has not fully cooperated with an investigation into allegations related to the origins of COVID-19, including claims that intelligence officials improperly monitored analysts working on the subject, according to a June letter described by The New York Post.

The watchdog is the Intelligence Community Inspector General, led by Christopher Fox. The Post reported that Fox sent the letter to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and raised concerns about whether the CIA and CIA Director John Ratcliffe complied with oversight requests tied to a review of alleged surveillance and related conduct affecting analysts looking into COVID-19 origins.

In the account published by The Post, Fox said the CIA director’s responses to earlier questions were insufficient and that the CIA did not provide records Fox viewed as critical to assessing whether the U.S. government engaged in a “cover up” surrounding COVID-19 origins. The Post also reported Fox’s concerns about the CIA director’s explanation that there was no evidence the CIA “illegally monitored” analysts.

Fox’s letter described concerns that analysts assigned to a special unit associated with the Director of National Intelligence were possibly subjected to tracking of computer and phone usage, along with monitoring tied to their communications with whistleblowers, The Post said. The Post further reported that Fox found it “concerning” that Ratcliffe indicated there was no evidence of illegal monitoring by his agency of the analysts involved.

The Post also reported that Fox’s inquiry examined whether the CIA complied with federal law requiring it to coordinate with the Intelligence Community Office of Inspector General for oversight of intelligence-community matters, “as appropriate.” Fox reportedly told Grassley that the CIA did not coordinate in the manner the watchdog believed the statute requires.

The Post said the broader review was tied to analysts dispatched by then-DNI Tulsi Gabbard to assess intelligence failures related to COVID-19 origins. According to The Post, Fox’s investigation was also examining whether a unit known as the Director’s Initiatives Group impeded the oversight process by preventing access to records.

Because the reported account relies on what Fox wrote in a June letter that was obtained and summarized by The Post, additional details of the watchdog’s specific demands, the CIA’s response, and the scope of any requested records were not included in the available reporting. The next steps, based on the watchdog’s role, would be continued review and any subsequent findings or referrals that Fox may issue as the oversight process develops.