Tulsi Gabbard’s office disputes claims of a CIA “raid,” while Rep. Anna Paulina Luna escalates demands for access to disputed intelligence records tied to JFK and MKUltra.

A new controversy involving the CIA, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the infamous MKUltra program is fueling renewed calls for government transparency in Washington.

The dispute began after CIA whistleblower James Erdman III testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that the agency reclaimed boxes of JFK and MKUltra-related documents that had been under review by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

According to Erdman, the files were being processed for possible declassification under Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard before the CIA allegedly retrieved them.

The claims prompted an immediate response from US Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, who threatened congressional subpoenas if the records were not returned.

“We were actually just notified that the CIA went in and took documents,” Luna said during an appearance on NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich Tonight. “Multiple boxes pertaining to the JFK files, as well as MKUltra.”

Luna later clarified that she was not alleging a literal “raid” on Gabbard’s office, but argued that the records should remain under the authority of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Gabbard’s office denied reports describing the incident as a raid, with a spokesperson stating that “the CIA did not raid the DNI’s office.”

The CIA also rejected the allegations, dismissing the congressional hearing as “dishonest political theater masquerading as a congressional hearing.”

The controversy has reignited public interest in Project MKUltra, the CIA’s Cold War-era behavioral experimentation program that explored mind control, interrogation and psychological manipulation techniques using methods that included LSD, hypnosis and sensory deprivation.

MKUltra became public knowledge during congressional investigations in the 1970s, which uncovered widespread abuses within US intelligence agencies. However, many of the program’s records were destroyed in 1973 under orders from then-CIA Director Richard Helms, leaving major gaps in the historical record. (See Dreamland January 16, 2026, MK-ULTRA and Children.)  

The dispute also arrives amid continuing public pressure for the release of remaining classified records tied to the assassination of President Kennedy. Although tens of thousands of pages have been released in recent years, researchers and historians continue to debate whether key information remains withheld.

Luna, who chairs a congressional task force focused on federal declassification efforts, escalated the matter on social media by warning that the CIA had “24 hours” to return the disputed materials before she pursued subpoenas.

The allegations have intensified long-standing suspicions among transparency advocates and researchers who believe critical intelligence records concerning political assassinations and covert experimentation remain hidden from public view.

At the same time, critics caution that claims surrounding JFK-related records and MKUltra often circulate in an atmosphere shaped by speculation and conspiracy theories, making independent verification difficult.

For now, no public evidence has emerged confirming the precise contents of the disputed boxes or whether the materials remain under active intelligence review.