A career CIA operations officer testified under oath that the agency illegally monitored the computer and phone usage of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s investigative team, tracking every keystroke as they probed sensitive topics including COVID-19 origins, the JFK assassination, and directed energy attacks on American personnel.

Whistleblower Exposes Systematic Surveillance

James Erdman III, a longtime CIA operations officer, delivered explosive testimony before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on May 13, revealing the agency refused to comply with lawful oversight from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Erdman stated the CIA not only blocked investigations but actively retaliated against analysts who disagreed with agency conclusions. The surveillance extended to tracking communications with whistleblowers and monitoring secure phone calls at Intelligence Community facilities.

The testimony revealed that reproducing what occurred on secure phone systems required formal IT engineering work orders, meaning someone deliberately requested technical infrastructure changes to enable the surveillance. Erdman confirmed that individuals involved in investigations into Anomalous Health Incidents, commonly known as Havana Syndrome, discovered third parties listening to their secure communications. These incidents were reported through counterintelligence channels and verified by DNI IT experts.

Seized Documents and Blocked Access

When the Director’s Initiatives Group ceased operations, the CIA removed 40 boxes of JFK assassination and MKUltra files that were being processed for declassification under Gabbard’s direction. The agency also denied DNI investigators access to key CIA analysts and officials, along with highly classified intelligence held in compartmented programs. Representative Anna Paulina Luna and House Oversight Chairman James Comer responded by sending a preservation letter to the CIA demanding all records related to the seized materials be maintained.

Timing and Political Context

The revelations emerged just days before Gabbard announced her resignation as Director of National Intelligence on Friday, citing her husband’s rare bone cancer diagnosis. The Director’s Initiatives Group had investigated multiple sensitive matters including the JFK, RFK, and MLK assassinations, COVID-19 origins, Operation Crossfire Hurricane, domestic surveillance during the Biden administration, and unidentified aerial phenomena. Senator Rand Paul, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, publicly shared journalist Catherine Herridge’s reporting on the testimony, bringing additional attention to the allegations of intelligence community infighting and potential legal violations.