Examining claims Tulsi Gabbard said alleged CIA plot 'Operation Mockingbird' never ended

It's not just a conspiracy theory that the CIA has, historically, attempted to influence or collude with both American and global media outlets, largely to serve political goals abroad. 

For decades, though, internet users have spread unsubstantiated rumors that the CIA's efforts to manipulate the media extended to promoting propaganda in domestic news outlets through a large-scale campaign during the Cold War called "Operation Mockingbird" — and, in summer 2025, a claim circulated online that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard confirmed that the operation never ended.