A former senior CIA operations officer is alleging that a “shadow government” is, and has been, operating inside the U.S. intelligence community.
In a new interview with investigative journalist Catherine Herridge, whistleblower James Erdman III describes a group of officials who see themselves as the “adults in the room.”
Their self-appointed job, he says, is to temper the “worst tendencies” of elected leaders.
According to Erdman, this mentality has been used to push back against President Trump’s agenda, including election integrity investigations and the contents of the President’s Daily Brief.
In the short clip, Herridge holds papers marked “DRAFT” and references an email reportedly from FBI Foreign Interference Task Force Lead Nikki Floris, which states, "I am basically running a shadow government inside the FBI right now."
"Is there a shadow government?" Herridge asks.
“There’s certainly people who believe that they are the adults in the room, and they’re here to make sure that the political leaders that are in charge, we can’t let them do anything too crazy. We’re here to make sure we temper their worst tendencies," Erdman replies. "I think that in effect, what you have are people who act as a shadow government, whether they know they’re doing it or not.”
BREAKING: CIA Whistleblower Confirms “Shadow Government” Inside the Intelligence Community
— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) July 27, 2026
"There's certainly people who believe that they are the adults in the room and they're here to make sure that the political leaders that are in charge, we can't let them do anything too… https://t.co/pDNKnq3fjH pic.twitter.com/JcwIGGAwVX
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Erdman went further in the full interview, detailing specific ways this alleged shadow government has worked against Trump.
He pointed to internal opposition to the president’s election integrity investigations and described efforts to “massage” the President’s Daily Brief, particularly on China, something he referred to as a "huge deal."
"I saw an example of that with COVID. There's an email—I don't know if it will ever get released—but it's like, 'Hey, listen, we don't want to put that out because we might have to send it up to the President's Daily Brief. Actual email."
"And I totally believe it as well because, frankly, no one wants to touch—when Trump was in office, there was a hesitancy to go up against China."
You can watch the entire interview below ...
EXCLUSIVE: Former Senior CIA Operations Officer James Erdman III Blows The Whistle on “Shadow Government,” Urges Senators To Focus On Fauci and The Money Trail, Alleges CIA Effort to Block His COVID-19 Senate Testimony, Destruction Directed Energy Attack Records And Spying on… pic.twitter.com/2h7zdhESY6
— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) July 27, 2026
One of the first things that comes to mind on the China accusation is retired Army general and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley. Milley, you may recall, tarnished his legacy over actions that can reasonably be called treasonous.
According to the book "Peril," in the final days of Trump’s first term, he privately assured his Chinese counterpart, General Li Zuocheng, that the U.S. military would not strike China—even if President Trump ordered it.
“General Li, you and I have known each other for now five years. If we’re going to attack, I’m going to call you ahead of time,” Milley purportedly said. “It’s not going to be a surprise.”
Erdman also alleged that career officials resisted reforms pushed by then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard as she tried to carry out Trump’s directives.
“I think she’s (Gabbard) the only one who actually conducted IC reform and did exactly what President Trump was asking her to do," he said.
2020 FBI emails reveal agent Nikki Floris stating she was “basically running a shadow government across the FBI” during Trump’s term.
— Katie Daviscourt 📸 (@KatieDaviscourt) July 17, 2026
Last line. pic.twitter.com/sYJvvkuhak
What Erdman describes is not some fringe theory. It is the firsthand account of a senior CIA officer who says he watched career officials treat the elected president’s priorities as optional. And he specifically points to those (like Floris) who were tasked with analyzing and reporting foreign interference, instead doing the opposite.
This same pattern of burying inconvenient intelligence on China appears in newly declassified documents and recent statements from President Trump. China and election interference are linked.
Newly available declassified documents and recent statements from President Trump have already shined a light on the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) theft of personal data belonging to a staggering 220 million American voters.
“Raw intelligence obtained by the FBI in 2020, yet buried by rogue bureaucrats, stated that China’s activities even included an attempt to manufacture illegal ballots for Joe Biden,” Trump alleged.
“Another official inside the FBI wrote that she was running a ‘shadow government’ to keep intelligence about China’s election meddling from becoming known."
The President has presented evidence that is being confirmed by the CIA whistleblower. The shadow government is no longer theoretical—it is documented, admitted, and, if left unchecked, a direct threat to the idea that the American people, not the bureaucracy, decide who leads the country.
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