Lawsuit Alleges CIA Counter Espionage Department Investigated Thousands of Unvaccinated Employees as Espionage Threats

A class-action lawsuit filed on June 30 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia alleges the CIA's chief operating officer directed the Counter Espionage Department to investigate thousands of employees and contractors solely for declining the COVID-19 vaccine 12. The suit states any employee who refused the vaccine "was treated by the Agency as a threat to the United States government and ordered to be investigated as the same" 13. A cross-agency group formed under then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard learned of the directive in 2025 from a whistleblower and sought confirmation from the CIA, which acknowledged investigating thousands but declined to cite legal authority for the order 14. Plaintiff James Erdman III formally requested removal of investigation materials from personnel files; the agency did not respond, according to lawyers representing the workers 12. Plaintiffs seek class certification, a ruling declaring the directive illegal, and expungement of resulting records; no affected employee has been fired 14.