CIA Took 40 Boxes of JFK and MKUltra Files from ODNI Before Gabbard Could Declassify Them
A CIA whistleblower testified before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on May 13, 2026, that the agency physically seized roughly 40 boxes of JFK assassination and MKUltra documents from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence before Tulsi Gabbard could declassify them. The same whistleblower says the CIA illegally spied on White House investigators probing COVID's origins. This isn't a conspiracy theory anymore — it's sworn congressional testimony, confirmed by two intelligence officials.
What Actually Happened On May 13, 2026, CIA officer James Erdman III sat before the Senate Homeland Security Committee and made a series of allegations that would have ended careers in any other era of government accountability. Erdman testified that the CIA removed approximately 40 boxes of documents — files related to the JFK assassination and the MKUltra program — from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence while Gabbard's ODNI was in the process of reviewing them for declassification. According to the Daily Caller, two separate intelligence community officials independently confirmed this to reporters. This was NOT a one-day story. Intelligence officials told reporters the removal happened last year, during a government shutdown, in the middle of the night — and the files have NOT been returned. The CIA moved classified documents under cover of a government shutdown, at night, before a presidentially ordered declassification could proceed. The MKUltra and JFK Angle These aren't random files. MKUltra was the CIA's own illegal human experimentation program — drugs, psychological torture, mind control research conducted on American citizens without their consent. The agency has long claimed all relevant documents were either released or destroyed. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) pointed out the obvious problem: if all the documents were already released or destroyed, what exactly did the CIA just walk out with? According to Luna's interview with NewsNation, these are "allegedly those documents that apparently never existed." President Trump had issued an executive order directing the full declassification of both the JFK files and the MKUltra records. The CIA taking those files before Gabbard could process them isn't just bureaucratic friction — it's a subordinate agency defying a direct presidential order. Congress Responds Luna immediately contacted House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and sent a preservation of documents notice to CIA Director John Ratcliffe. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform followed with a formal letter demanding the files be returned to Gabbard's office. Luna gave the CIA 24 hours to comply before she moves to issue a subpoena. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) co-signed and demanded to know who specifically ordered the removal and who signed off on it. Those are the right questions. Not "did this happen" — two IC officials confirmed it did — but who gave the order . Former CIA officer John Kiriakou told Fox News: "The CIA cannot overrule the president, and the CIA cannot even overrule the Director of National Intelligence." That's the legal chain of command. The Bigger Story: The CIA Was Spying on Its Own Government The JFK and MKUltra files are explosive, but Erdman's other testimony is arguably more alarming for what it means right now. Erdman told the committee — under oath — that the CIA illegally monitored the computer and phone usage of ODNI investigators, including their contacts with whistleblowers, while those investigators were conducting a presidentially directed probe into COVID's origins. According to Reason, Erdman stated directly: "These were Americans being spied upon illegally while executing duties directed by the president and under the Director of National Intelligence." The CIA also allegedly fired a contractor one day after he spoke with ODNI investigators. That pattern suggests retaliation. Erdman further testified that the CIA suppressed its own analysts' assessment that COVID originated from a lab leak — and retaliated against the analysts who stood by that conclusion. The agency only reversed its public position in January 2025 after new Trump-appointed Director John Ratcliffe took over. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who chairs the Homeland Security Committee, said: "The deep state still resists this congressional mandate" to release COVID origins documents. Under Gabbard, ODNI is working to declassify approximately 2,000 documents related to COVID's origins — but the CIA and State Department are dragging their feet on handing over requested materials. What the CIA Said — and What It Reveals Before Erdman even testified, CIA spokesperson Liz Lyons went on offense, calling the hearing "dishonest political theater" and claiming the committee acted in "bad faith" by not giving the agency advance notice of the testimony. The CIA's response to a whistleblower alleging illegal surveillance of American government officials was to complain about hearing logistics. Lyons also said: "As the CIA has already assessed, COVID-19 most likely originated from a lab leak, and efforts to undermine that conclusion are disingenuous." The CIA is now claiming credit for the lab leak conclusion while Erdman just testified the agency suppressed that exact conclusion and retaliated against the analysts who reached it. A Pattern Across Multiple Fronts Most outlets covered this
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