Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 19, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
Republican Mark Lenzi was a State Department diplomat until he and his family ended up suffering from traumatic brain injuries that are being treated at Walter Reed National Military Center. They have Havana Syndrome, the name for the disease those abroad suffered from after an attack that involved pulsed microwaves.
Writing for The Hill Monday, Lenzi noted that when he spoke to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, he provided evidence of the attack and alleged it was at the hands of Russia.
"These attacks have injured hundreds of U.S. government personnel, including myself, my wife and my two children," he wrote.
But after he penned an op-ed about what he and his family were experiencing, he was retaliated against, he claimed, alleging a cover-up by the State Department and intelligence community.
"I testified with the expectation that the committee would do as it had promised — hold officials accountable for, among other things, willful negligence and denied medical care that led to many of our traumatic brain injuries (especially those of my two children) being much worse than they should have been," wrote Lenzi.
That hasn't happened. While the "committee produced a bombshell report" about the matter, Lenzi said it hasn't been released to the public when it should have been months ago. Lenzi is still seeking accountability.
Although he initially praised Republican committee Chairman Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) for hearing victims’ testimony, he is now criticizing Crawford for not releasing the resulting report.
A 2023 report from the CIA claimed that there wasn't a foreign government involved in the attack. Lenzi doesn't buy it and thinks the Congressional probe will show something different. Secretary of State Marco Rubio didn't buy it either.
According to Lenzi, committee leaders say the CIA is causing the delays by withholding the report from declassification. He wrote that letting the very agency under investigation to stall publication undermines the point of congressional oversight.
The other problem, he fears, is President Donald Trump's cozy relationship with Russia and the White House deference that comes along with it.
"I am far from being alone in believing the State Department and U.S. intelligence community possess evidence of Russian involvement but are avoiding releasing it. As someone personally affected by this, I want the truth to be revealed," he wrote for The Hill.
"Instead of treating Russian President Vladimir Putin with the deference that the executive branch seems to want, the committee should exercise a modicum of independence and conduct some real oversight for a change," he blasted. "The fact that members would sit on this information sets a troubling precedent that should concern every U.S. citizen."
Ultimately, Lenzi wants the report released and those responsible held accountable, politics be damned. But while Lenzi watches his family suffer the aftereffects of the attack on them, he saw Trump welcome Vladimir Putin to U.S. soil with open arms.
"Until he is publicly held accountable by Congress, Putin will continue to be treated like a friend of this White House and receive invites to visit the U.S. Each time that happens, take a moment to consider the role Russia played in inflicting horrific brain injuries on U.S. government personnel using directed energy attacks," Lenzi closed.