WASHINGTON — Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) on Thursday accused the Central Intelligence Agency of entering the office of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and removing 40 boxes of files tied to investigations of Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy that she said were bound for Gabbard’s Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets.
“The CIA just went in and took 40 boxes out of Tulsi’s office on stuff that we are investigating, MLK and JFK,” Luna told The Floridian shortly after votes in the House concluded, adding, “which by the way, I don’t think Radcliffe knew about this.” Luna said the agency has 24 hours to return the material and that she is weighing a contempt hearing to compel answers about who authorized the removal. “Who the hell thinks they have the authority to defy an executive order?” she said.
Luna, a prominent backer of former President Donald Trump, characterized the seizure as an affront to an executive-driven declassification effort and demanded a rapid restoration of the documents. She made clear she intended to pursue formal inquiries into the incident and to identify the CIA officials responsible, but provided no documentary evidence in her initial comments and did not identify the individuals she believes directed the operation.
There was no immediate public response from the CIA or from Gabbard’s office to Luna’s allegations. Officials at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not immediately return requests for comment. It was also unclear from Luna’s statement whether the boxes had been cataloged, the chain of custody documented, or whether they were seized under a legal order the congresswoman had not seen.
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The dispute touches on a broader, longstanding tension between intelligence agencies and lawmakers over access to classified or historically sensitive records. Files related to the investigations of MLK and JFK have been the subject of declassification battles for decades, and recent years have seen renewed congressional interest in presidential and federal records. Republicans in recent months have threatened contempt proceedings in other high-profile document disputes, and legal questions about the reach of presidential records and agency authority have percolated through policy debates in Washington.
Luna’s remarks came as her Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets is said to be organizing reviews of historical files; the congresswoman framed the removed boxes as part of that effort. She did not say where the materials were taken or cite any written order authorizing the removal. Her threat of a contempt hearing suggests she may use House oversight powers to press agencies for information about the incident.
The allegation, if confirmed, would raise novel questions about interagency authority and the procedures governing access to and transfer of classified archival material. Legal analysts and lawmakers have repeatedly clashed over when and how records may be withheld for national security reasons, and a contested seizure of materials from an ODNI office could prompt litigation and additional congressional oversight.
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This is a developing story; Luna said she intends to pursue further action to identify who removed the boxes and to secure their return.
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