Who is James Erdman III? CIA whistleblower who went from COVID mandate fights to Senate spotlight

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. CIA whistleblower James Erdman III testified before the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee that intelligence leaders downplayed the lab-leak theory for COVID-19, saying the effort ultimately resulted in a ‘cover-up.’ James Erdman III, a CIA whistleblower who testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Wednesday alleging a federal cover-up of COVID-19 origins, has a long history of clashing with the government on the coronavirus issue. Erdman is a former intelligence officer and military veteran who co-founded the grassroots advocacy group Feds For Freedom, an organization that emerged during the COVID-19 vaccine mandate battles involving federal workers and members of the military. While public information online about Erdman's early life is sparse, according to biographical infor