Federal judge denies ex-Pentagon official's bid to halt CIA termination over military vaccine mandate controversy

By lauraharris // 2025-05-18

Mastodon

Parler

Gab

Copy

A federal judge denied Terry Adirim's emergency bid to block her CIA termination, ruling she failed to prove her firing was politically motivated or violated her rights.
Adirim claimed conservative activist Ivan Raiklin orchestrated her dismissal by smearing her as the "architect" of the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, but the DOJ dismissed her claims as speculative.
The agency stated Adirim was fired due to workplace complaints about her behavior, not political pressure, a claim backed by internal declarations.
New DoD guidelines allow veterans discharged solely for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine to request honorable status, record corrections, and even reinstatement with back pay.
The policy shift acknowledges the vaccine mandate’s "unfair burden" and aims to restore benefits and careers of affected service members.

A federal judge has rejected the emergency request of a former senior Department of Defense (DoD) health official to block her dismissal from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Terry Adirim, who served as the Director of Global Health Services for the CIA after holding a key role in the Pentagon, alleged in court that Ivan Raiklin and other conservative activists orchestrated her firing in retaliation for her role in enforcing the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine mandate in the military. Adirim alleged in court filings that Raiklin, a vocal critic of COVID-19 mandates, led a smear campaign branding her as a "traitor" and the "architect" of the military's vaccine policy. She then claimed that Raiklin enlisted conservative activist Laura Loomer to pressure President Donald Trump to intervene with the CIA to secure her removal. Her lawsuit accused Raiklin, the CIA, the agency's Director John Ratcliffe and the conservative nonprofit America's Future, Inc. of defamation, due process violations and contract breaches, citing leaks about her termination to Breitbart News. But the Department of Justice, representing the CIA, dismissed her allegations as "speculative and unsupported," arguing in a May 6 filing that her theory relied on "loosely drawn connections” between Raiklin's activism and the agency's internal decision-making. (Related: Military whistleblowers submit report claiming COVID-19 vaccine mandate is UNLAWFUL.) The DOJ argued that while Adirim's name appeared on Raiklin's "Deep State Target List," there was no evidence linking her firing to political pressure, noting that the CIA had initiated a review of her workplace conduct weeks before Loomer's reported White House visit. The agency maintained that Adirim was terminated due to "multiple complaints" from staff about her "inappropriate and harassing" behavior – a claim supported by the CIA's deputy chief operating officer. In line with this, U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff ruled on May 9 that Adirim failed to prove her constitutional rights were violated or that she was likely to succeed in her lawsuit. The decision allows the agency to proceed with her termination under a contract clause permitting dismissal with 30 days' notice.

Pentagon issues new guidelines for military veterans discharged over COVID-19 vaccine refusal

The decision came a few days after the Defense Department issued new guidelines for military veterans discharged over COVID-19 vaccine refusal. On May 7, the DoD issued updated guidance allowing former service members who were involuntarily discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine to request corrections to their military records, including discharge upgrades and removal of adverse actions. The new policy follows Executive Order 14184, which called for the reinstatement of service members discharged under the now-rescinded military vaccine mandate. Key provisions of the new guidance include former service members who were separated solely for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine may now apply to have their discharge status upgraded to "honorable" if no other misconduct is present. This change restores access to veterans' benefits, including GI Bill education assistance. Service members who faced reprimands, negative evaluations or withheld promotions due to vaccine refusal or exemption requests can petition to have those records expunged. Additionally, eligible veterans may also seek reinstatement in the military and back pay for time lost due to their discharge. Affected veterans can submit requests through the Army Discharge Review Board (ADRB), the Army Board for Correction of Military Records (ABCMR) and equivalent boards in the Navy and Air Force. The new guidance acknowledges that the 2021 Pentagon's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which led to the discharge of thousands of service members who refused vaccination, was "an unfair, overbroad and completely unnecessary burden" and seeks to rectify its consequences. Visit Vaccines.news for the latest news regarding COVID-19 vaccine policy in the United States. Watch this clip as Dr. Peter McCullough calls for backpay for servicemembers affected by the military vaccine mandate. The renowned cardiologist also calls for research into injuries suffered by servicemembers who were forced to take COVID-19 vaccines.

This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.

CITIZENS NEWS

Pentagon issues new guidelines for military veterans discharged over COVID-19 vaccine refusal

More related stories: