James Erdman III, a veteran CIA special operations officer, told the Senate Homeland Security Committee that the CIA monitored the phones and computers of Director's Initiatives Group analysts investigating COVID-19's origins. He said this surveillance included their investigative work and contact with whistleblowers, and involved Americans working under directives from the president and the Director of National Intelligence. Erdman said CIA analysts concluded multiple times between 2021 and 2023 that a lab leak was the most likely origin of COVID-19, but that leaders altered these conclusions in public reports. He testified that in August 2021, just before a planned release of a lab-leak finding, Dr. Anthony Fauci met with intelligence officials and shared a list of experts he knew, after which the assessment was changed. Erdman also alleged the CIA removed MKUltra and JFK assassination files from the office of DNI Tulsi Gabbard before they were due for declassification. Representative Anna Paulina Luna accused the agency of defying a presidential order and gave a 24-hour deadline for their return, threatening a subpoena. The House Oversight Committee sent a notice to CIA Director Ratcliffe to preserve and return the documents, citing their relevance to ongoing inquiries. Senator Rand Paul, who chaired the hearing, said the testimony supported claims of a cover-up over COVID-19's origins and broader transparency issues.