Article By David Lindfield
Explosive allegations emerging from Capitol Hill claim the Central Intelligence Agency illegally surveilled members of the U.S. intelligence community who were investigating the agency’s own activities under Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
According to congressional documents and testimony submitted to Sen. Rand Paul’s Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, CIA personnel allegedly monitored phone calls, tracked computer activity, obstructed investigations, and retaliated against officials tasked with reviewing sensitive intelligence files tied to COVID-19 origins, JFK assassination records, MKUltra documents, and alleged intelligence abuses targeting President Donald Trump.
The allegations were made by CIA officer Jim Erdman, a member of Gabbard’s Director’s Initiatives Group (DIG), which was formed to review and declassify highly sensitive intelligence materials.
Whistleblower Claims CIA Monitored Oversight Team
In written testimony submitted to Congress, Erdman accused the CIA of interfering with lawful oversight efforts and illegally surveilling members of the DIG task force.
“I am testifying here today because, in my year with DIG, the CIA obstructed lawful oversight related to the DIG’s work and retaliated against the DIG with what I believe were illegal investigations into DIG members,” Erdman wrote.
According to the testimony, CIA personnel allegedly listened in on secure phone calls involving investigators and whistleblowers, even inside classified intelligence facilities.
“Individuals involved in our AHI investigation discovered third parties were listening into secure phone calls at Intelligence Community facilities,” Erdman stated.
“In one instance, it was during a conversation with a whistleblower.”
The testimony further alleged that intelligence personnel confirmed the surveillance would have required deliberate technical modifications to secure systems.
The accusations center around investigations into anomalous health incidents, commonly known as “Havana syndrome,” along with reviews of JFK assassination files, MKUltra records, and intelligence tied to COVID-19 origins.
CIA Accused of Blocking Declassification Efforts
The testimony alleges the CIA repeatedly obstructed efforts ordered by President Donald Trump and overseen by DNI Tulsi Gabbard to declassify sensitive materials.
According to Erdman, the agency withheld records, denied investigators access to critical information, and even blocked information from reaching Gabbard herself.
The allegations come after reports surfaced claiming CIA officials removed boxes of JFK and MKUltra files that had been under review by Gabbard’s office.
Erdman’s attorney, Carol Thompson, said members of the DIG task force faced retaliation from their own agencies while attempting to conduct oversight investigations.
The testimony also referenced allegations that documents tied to the JFK assassination and the CIA’s notorious MKUltra mind-control experiments were pulled back from declassification efforts.
COVID Origins Investigation at Center of Dispute
A major focus of the task force involved reviewing intelligence surrounding the origins of COVID-19 and whether intelligence agencies suppressed evidence supporting the lab-leak theory.
Erdman testified that scientists connected to Anthony Fauci and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases allegedly received preferential treatment within intelligence assessments while biological weapons experts inside the intelligence community who favored the lab-leak theory were sidelined.
The testimony connected the issue to America’s broader biodefense infrastructure and gain-of-function research programs that expanded after the 9/11 anthrax attacks.
According to Erdman, biological experts advising the intelligence community maintained ties to Chinese scientists through academic and research partnerships that raised counterintelligence concerns.
The testimony specifically referenced University of North Carolina virologist Ralph Baric, a longtime collaborator with the Wuhan Institute of Virology on engineered coronavirus research.
CIA Publicly Rebukes Senate Hearing
The allegations triggered an unusually public response from the CIA during the Senate hearing.
CIA spokesperson Liz Lyons blasted the hearing and accused Sen. Rand Paul’s committee of acting in “bad faith.”
“The Committee acted in bad faith by subpoenaing an Agency officer for testimony today without notifying CIA,” Lyons said.
She further claimed the hearing amounted to “dishonest political theater masquerading as a congressional hearing.”
At the same time, Lyons acknowledged the CIA’s current assessment that COVID-19 most likely originated from a lab leak.
Allegations Raise New Questions About Intelligence Community Oversight
The accusations are likely to intensify scrutiny over the intelligence community under the Trump administration’s ongoing declassification efforts.
Erdman warned during the hearing that the situation represented a national security crisis fueled by a lack of accountability inside America’s intelligence agencies.
“This is a national security crisis caused by the inability to provide real oversight,” Erdman testified.
“These were Americans being spied upon illegally while executing duties directed by the president and under the authority of the director of national intelligence.”
The allegations now place renewed focus on whether intelligence agencies operated beyond lawful oversight while resisting efforts by President Trump and DNI Gabbard to expose classified programs and alleged abuses buried inside the federal government for decades.
Be the first to comment