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New whistleblower testimony and reporting allege the CIA interfered with investigations led by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s team and monitored internal communications tied to sensitive probes.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
New allegations involving the CIA, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and multiple high-profile federal investigations surfaced this week after whistleblower testimony and investigative reporting accused the agency of obstructing oversight efforts and monitoring communications linked to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s investigative team.
Investigative journalist Catherine Herridge reported that former CIA Operations Officer James Erdman III provided detailed testimony describing alleged interference by the CIA during investigations conducted by the Director’s Initiatives Group, commonly known as DIG.
According to Herridge’s reporting, Erdman testified that investigators examining Anomalous Health Incidents — also referred to as Havana Syndrome or Directed Energy attacks — discovered signs that secure communications were being monitored inside intelligence community facilities.
“This was not the first time the CIA appears to have been monitoring DIG communications,” Erdman testified, according to Herridge. “Individuals involved in our AHI investigation discovered third parties were listening in on secure phone calls at Intelligence Community facilities. In one instance, it was during a conversation with a whistleblower.”
Erdman further alleged that internal counterintelligence reports were filed regarding the incidents and that Office of the Director of National Intelligence information technology personnel determined the monitoring could not have occurred accidentally.
“These incidents were also reported in counterintelligence channels, and DNI IT experts confirmed that reproducing what occurred on the secure phone calls required an IT engineering work order,” Erdman testified. “Someone had to request a technical change to the infrastructure.”
Herridge additionally reported allegations that the CIA denied investigators working under Gabbard access to analysts, officials, and classified information connected to the investigations.
The allegations surfaced publicly as Gabbard announced Friday that she would resign as director of national intelligence at the end of June due to her husband Abraham Williams’ diagnosis with a rare form of bone cancer.
The controversy involving the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence intensified earlier this month following congressional testimony from Erdman before the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
During that testimony, Erdman alleged the CIA engaged in “documented efforts to circumvent oversight” and refused to cooperate with lawful investigations initiated by Gabbard’s office.
According to Erdman, the Director’s Initiatives Group investigated subjects including the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as COVID-19 origins, Crossfire Hurricane, anomalous health incidents, domestic surveillance during the Biden administration, and unidentified aerial phenomena.
Herridge reported that the CIA allegedly tracked “every keystroke” associated with DIG personnel and monitored their communications with whistleblowers during those investigations.
Erdman also alleged the CIA retaliated against analysts who failed to support preferred agency conclusions regarding ongoing investigations.
“The CIA illegally monitored the computer and phone usage of DIG personnel, their investigations, and contact with whistleblowers,” Erdman testified. He added that the actions “significantly impacted Director Gabbard’s implementation of several EOs issued during this administration and tasked to the DIG.”
The testimony additionally included allegations that the CIA removed 40 boxes of JFK assassination records and MKUltra files that had been undergoing declassification review within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence after DIG operations ended.
MKUltra refers to the CIA’s controversial Cold War-era mind control and behavioral experimentation program involving drugs and psychological testing.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky later issued a preservation request to the CIA demanding that all records related to the removed materials be retained.
A spokeswoman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence subsequently denied claims circulating publicly that the CIA had “raided” Gabbard’s office.
Erdman himself did not allege a physical raid occurred.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky publicly responded to Herridge’s reporting in a post on X, writing, “We’ve got to get to the bottom of what they’re hiding.”
The CIA has not publicly responded in detail to the allegations contained in Erdman’s testimony or Herridge’s reporting.