Story perspectives

CIA Seizes Gabbard Files, Withholds COVID Data, Luna Demands Return

5/14/2026

Summary

Story summary

James Erdman III, a CIA officer, testified on May 13 2026 that the agency seized MK-Ultra and JFK assassination files from Tulsi Gabbard’s office.
Erdman claimed the agency withheld COVID-19 records and rewrote assessments that a lab leak was likely.
Liz Lyons called the hearing political theater, asserting the CIA had evaluated the lab-leak hypothesis.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said she will subpoena the CIA to return seized files within 24 hours.

History

Historical Context

In 1975 the Senate Church Committee uncovered CIA mind-control experiments (MK-ULTRA) and illegal surveillance, prompting President Ford’s Executive Order 11905 and the declassification of over 50,000 pages. Decades later CIA officer James Erdman III says the agency seized MK-ULTRA and JFK records from Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s office, reviving the same secrecy battles.

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Story summary

James Erdman III, a CIA officer, testified on May 13 2026 that the agency seized MK-Ultra and JFK assassination files from Tulsi Gabbard’s office.
Erdman claimed the agency withheld COVID-19 records and rewrote assessments that a lab leak was likely.
Liz Lyons called the hearing political theater, asserting the CIA had evaluated the lab-leak hypothesis.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said she will subpoena the CIA to return seized files within 24 hours.

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