A previously undisclosed confrontation unfolded in early April between the United States Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as intelligence officials working under Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard entered a secret CIA archival facility and seized still-classified files on the assassinations of John F. Kennedy (JFK), Robert F. Kennedy (RFK), and Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), Reuters reported.

According to three individuals familiar with the incident, the team arrived unannounced at the CIA’s archival warehouse in the Washington area, surprising agency personnel as they asserted authority to transfer the documents to the National Archives for declassification under US President Donald Trump’s January executive order.

The mission, described by one source as the most confrontational moment to date between Gabbard’s office and the CIA, was led by Paul Allen McDonald II, a Defense Intelligence Agency official temporarily assigned to ODNI. He reportedly told CIA personnel that the delegation was “on a mission” from Gabbard to take possession of the assassination files.

Also present was Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, a Trump administration official, CIA veteran, and daughter-in-law of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Although she lacked proper credentials to access the facility, she was permitted entry and spent about an hour reviewing the agency’s digitization processes, according to two sources cited by Reuters.

A 2 am transfer after tense exchanges

The unannounced arrival triggered tensions at the facility’s entryway, including shouting, two individuals said, though others described the exchanges as professional. ODNI officials presented documentation asserting their legal authority to take the files and warned that any attempt to impede the transfer could carry consequences.

One source told Reuters the step was taken because the CIA “was not cooperating up until that point,” leading Gabbard to “put her foot down” after a 45-day deadline in Trump’s declassification order had passed without sufficient progress.

Ultimately, CIA officials involved in the ongoing declassification effort were called in, and the two sides coordinated the handover. The digitizing effort of documents and the eventual transfer of the trove of files took the operation into the early morning, with documents moved to the National Archives facility in College Park, Maryland, by 2 AM.

Read more: 1,000s of unscanned JFK, RFK docs hidden in National Archives: Gabbard

Trump administration praises Gabbard's effort

The operation sheds new light on internal tensions as Trump-appointed officials move to fulfill the president’s directive to release historical files related to the highly scrutinized political assassinations of the 1960s. Portions of Trump’s political base have long been fueled by conspiracy theories around these events, despite the official verdict that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing President Kennedy.

White House spokesperson Steven Cheung said Trump maintained full confidence in both Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, rejecting any suggestion of division.

In a joint statement, the ODNI and the CIA insisted the agencies have been working “hand-in-hand” to declassify materials and support the administration’s push for transparency.

Gabbard herself alluded to the broader effort during an April 10 cabinet meeting, telling Trump she had dispatched “hunters” across intelligence agencies to locate remaining files. Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long alleged CIA involvement in the killings of his father and uncle, both publicly praised the effort. The CIA has consistently rejected allegations of involvement in the assassinations.

Archives begin massive release of assassination files

The National Archives has already released tens of thousands of documents since March under Trump’s order, including around 80,000 files related to the JFK assassination and another 70,000 connected to RFK.

Experts say the newly released materials provide additional detail on the CIA’s knowledge of Oswald, though no evidence has emerged contradicting the official conclusion that he acted alone. The RFK documents released to date have also produced no major revelations challenging the historical record.

The ODNI declined Reuters’ request to interview McDonald or Fox Kennedy.

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