To block declassification? Whistleblower claims CIA ‘swooped in’ to seize MKUltra, JFK assassination files from Tulsi Gabbard’s office Trump order
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "To block declassification? Whistleblower claims CIA ‘swooped in’ to seize MKUltra, JFK assassination files from Tulsi Gabbard’s office Trump order")
CIA whistleblower James Erdman III, a senior operations officer, raises his hand as he is sworn in during a hearing with the Senate Homeland Security Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on May 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. Inset: Tulsi Gabbard Photograph: (Combination created using images from AFP)
CIA whistleblower James Erdman III has claimed the CIA seized MKUltra and JFK-related files from Tulsi Gabbard’s office just as they were nearing possible declassification. If true, this could trigger a major showdown over some of the darkest secrets in US history.
James Erdman III, the CIA whistleblower now dominating headlines with a fresh round of explosive allegations about COVID-19 and Dr Anthony Fauci, has directly targeted the CIA itself over some of America's darkest and most controversial secrets. Testifying before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday (May 13), Erdman, identified as a senior CIA operations officer, claimed that the agency seized sensitive files tied to both the notorious MKUltra mind-control program and documents related to the assassination of John F. Kennedy from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Tulsi Gabbard, just as those records were allegedly nearing declassification.
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Files seized from Tulsi Gabbard's office
According to Erdman, the files were in the possession of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s office and were being prepared for potential public release. However, the CIA intervened and seized the much-awaited files.
If true, the claim immediately raises extraordinary questions, not just about classified records, but about whether the intelligence agency actively obstructed presidential or congressional declassification efforts.
Luna threatens subpoena showdown
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James Erdman III's allegation quickly triggered political fallout. Seizing on the explosive testimony, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna accused the CIA of potentially violating executive authority and giving the agency a 24-hour ultimatum to return the documents. In a post on X, she noted that "these documents have been requested by Congress," and warned that the CIA must return the documents within 24 hours "or else I will make a motion to issue a subpoena".
Luna also posted what she described as a "preservation notice," arguing that ODNI had explicit presidential authority to declassify records related to JFK, RFK, and MLK.
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What is MKUltra? Why it still matters
MKUltra remains one of the CIA’s most infamous historical scandals, involving covert experimentation in the 1950s and 1960s with LSD, psychological manipulation, and behavioural control, often without consent. A set of the MK Ultra files was released in 2018.
