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Tulsi Gabbard, The CIA, And Trump’s Deep State War Over The JFK And MKULTRA Files

By Editor on 15th May 2026 • ( 0 )

Weaponized Declassification: Tulsi Gabbard, The CIA, And Trump’s Deep State War Over The JFK And MKULTRA Files

As the press and public obsess over “UFO” revelations, a parallel controversy involving Tulsi Gabbard, alleged CIA document seizures and surviving MKULTRA files is escalating. The episode reflects a broader crisis of trust, secrecy and factional conflict within the American state apparatus under Trump.

Amid a wave of “UFO” and classified files disclosures in Washington, a far more interesting controversy is now engulfing the office of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. According to whistleblower claims now circulating in Congress and media, CIA-linked personnel entered Gabbard’s office and “seized” sensitive documents related to the JFK assassination and MKULTRA. Her office has publicly denied the reports, calling them false or exaggerated. Be as it may, something clearly appears to be happening behind the scenes.

The story has escalated after Representative Anna Paulina Luna threatened subpoenas against the CIA over the issue. The documents were allegedly taken “in the middle of the night” and never returned.

For now, the mainstream press seems unsure whether to dismiss the matter as “conspiracy theory” or to entertain the possibility that tensions between Trump-aligned officials and sections of the intelligence apparatus have reached extraordinary levels.

As a matter of fact, this entire tale makes far more sense when interpreted within the wider context of Donald Trump’s ongoing power struggle with parts of the so-called “Deep State” (or “Double Government”). This, after all, is not just about transparency or “truth-seeking”: it is also about leverage, intimidation, institutional warfare and what I call the weaponization of selective declassifications.

Back in late 2024 and early 2025 I wrote about the tensions haunting the new Republican administration, when Trump appointed outsider Tulsi Gabbard as DNI while simultaneously assembling a peculiar coalition of loyalists, outsiders and hawks (such as Rubio) around him. I argued his “war” with (parts of) the Deep State was about remaking the American Republic and increasing Presidential powers.

Trump’s strategy thus far has been blunt enough: corner adversaries within the bureaucracy or the political system (such as the Clintons) by threatening disclosures capable of discrediting intelligence agencies, former officials and political dynasties alike.

The Epstein files controversy demonstrated both the usefulness and dangers of such a strategy: selective leaks and (highly redacted) declassifications can create enormous political pressure, thereby generating leverage over rivals and institutions. Yet the process can also backfire upon those orchestrating it. Trump himself has long-standing social connections to Epstein circles, and no wonder the issue became politically radioactive for him.

This is precisely why the current emphasis on UFO or UAP releases may function, timing-wise, largely as a diversion. “Flying saucers”, whatever they may be, attract headlines, social media traffic and endless speculation. The truly explosive material, however, may lie elsewhere: the remaining MKULTRA and JFK-related files.

One may recall that CIA Director Richard Helms ordered the destruction of most MKULTRA records back in 1973 amid growing Watergate era scrutiny. MKULTRA is the infamous CIA program involving LSD experiments, mind-control and interrogation techniques, plus torture and human experimentation on unwitting subjects (including children). It became one of the darkest scandals in US intelligence history. The destruction of records of course severely hampered later investigations by both the Church Committee and the Rockefeller Commission. Some documents survived through archival accidents, but the bulk were reportedly destroyed.

This historical record should provide lots of context to today’s story. If disputes are indeed occurring over remaining MKULTRA or JFK files inside or around Gabbard’s office, then the mighty CIA would hardly be acting outside its historical pattern. The agency, after all, has repeatedly been accused of suppressing or destroying sensitive records whenever institutional interests appeared threatened.

This was precisely the case in 2005, for instance, when the CIA conducted a “document sweep” at a University of Washington archive. The Agency argued the files had never been properly declassified. Academics and historians viewed the operation as an attempt to retroactively suppress records already in the public domain.

There is also the notorious destruction of 92 CIA interrogation videotapes, also in 2005. Those tapes, interestingly, documented the interrogations of detainees, including Abu Zubaydah, involving “enhanced interrogation techniques” such as waterboarding. The destruction occurred amid inquiries from Congress and the 9/11 Commission. Critics accused the agency of blatantly destroying evidence of torture (and potentially even brainwashing) to avoid legal and political accountability.

The same logic applies to the JFK files. Whether or not one believes the CIA directly participated in Kennedy’s assassination is almost secondary at this point: the issue here is institutional credibility. Even partial disclosures detailing, say, the Agency’s extensive relationship with organized crime, covert foreign operations or domestic manipulation campaigns could deeply undermine public trust in the intelligence apparatus – and thus embolden any Trumpist proposal to “reform” the Agency in such a way as to increase presidential powers.

Again, Trump is simultaneously dealing with the fallout from the Epstein scandal, mounting tensions surrounding the disastrous Iranian conflict, and intensifying factional “warfare” inside Washington itself. Meanwhile, bizarre stories continue to emerge (involving from blackmail, abuse and espionage intrigue to missing scientists and generals, “UFO” or drone panic, plus unexplained security incidents/assassination plots, military crises, and internal purges).

Simply put, enough smoke exists to suggest something more serious is unfolding beneath the surface.

Trump’s broader objective remains what it has always been: expanding presidential authority over the permanent state apparatus while weakening competing power centres. The selective release of classified material is, again, part of that effort. It intimidates adversaries while mobilizing populist anger against entrenched institutions. Intelligence agencies, however, possess their own tools, networks and survival instincts. Historically, they have not surrendered power easily.

The latest allegations around Gabbard’s office may be entirely accurate or partially distorted (or even fabricated). In any case, such claims are now plausible to millions of Americans, and this reveals how degraded trust inside the US political system has become. In all likelihood, the Deep State “war” is far from over.

Uriel Araujo, Anthropology PhD, is a social scientist specializing in ethnic and religious conflicts, with extensive research on geopolitical dynamics and cultural interactions.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Voice of East.