IC Oversight & Authorities — 2026-05-14

CIA Reportedly Seized JFK and MKUltra Declassification Files From DNI Gabbard Office

BLUFCongressional "seizure" framing likely overstates a bureaucratic custody dispute, but CIA's refusal to engage the substance of sworn testimony hands oversight hawks a durable narrative of institutional defiance.

CIA whistleblower James Erdmann III testified before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on May 13 that the agency removed 40 boxes of JFK and MKUltra files from ODNI during Gabbard's declassification review and illegally monitored her investigators' communications. NewsNation reported, citing an intelligence official, that the removal occurred last year from the National Reconnaissance Office during the government shutdown and the documents have not been returned. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) gave the CIA 24 hours to return the files or face a subpoena and traveled to CIA headquarters on May 14 with Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) to inspect them. A DNI spokeswoman denied a raid had occurred; CIA spokeswoman Liz Lyons dismissed the hearing as "dishonest political theater."

Analysis
The removal occurred last year during a government shutdown at the NRO, months before Gabbard's review attracted sustained political attention, positioning CIA's move as a pre-existing custody claim, not a response to executive pressure. The agency dismissed sworn Senate testimony as "dishonest political theater" without addressing the substance, per a single Daily Caller report amplified by an ideologically aligned outlet cluster. Congress has invoked subpoena authority, though enforcement against an intelligence agency is unlikely to resolve within the 24-hour window lawmakers set. Whether the 40 boxes contain unreleased records or material CIA considers routine administrative custody remains unknown. The "seizure" framing may reflect legislators seeking institutional leverage rather than evidence of deliberate suppression.
4 sources
  1. CIA Seized JFK, MKUltra Files Out From Under Tulsi Gabbard: Sources - Daily Caller
  2. Report: CIA Takes JFK Assassination, MKUltra Files from Tulsi Gabbard - Breitbart
  3. Oh My: Luna Says CIA Has Taken 40 Boxes From ODNI That Gabbard Was Preparing to Declassify (Updated) - RedState
  4. Lawmakers visit CIA to probe removal of JFK assassination documents from Gabbard's office - Washington Times

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UNCLASSIFIED // OPEN SOURCE