Gabbard fends off questions about Fulton County election raid

Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard deflected criticism Wednesday about her presence at an FBI raid at a Georgia election office earlier this year. 

Gabbard was pressed by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) during questioning from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Gabbard was photographed outside of the facility in Fulton County, Ga., next to a vehicle full of documents during federal agents’ operation to seize voter records from the 2020 election. 

After losing to former President Biden in the 2020 presidential race, President Trump has continued to insist the election was “stolen” and specifically alleged voter fraud in Fulton County. 

Warner, the committee’s vice chair, asked Gabbard to explain her “authority” over the operation. He said the DNI’s presence at the raid should “alarm every American” and suggested it could preview an effort by Trump to interfere in this year’s elections.

“I believe an organized effort to misuse her national security powers, to interfere in domestic politics, and potentially provide a pretext for the president’s unconstitutional efforts to seize control of the upcoming elections,” Warner said in his opening remarks on Wednesday. 

“Don’t take my word for it — the president has repeatedly pushed for the nationalization of our elections, calling for federal government to override the state election laws and quote, ‘take over voting,’ while continuing to make false statements about election fraud,” the vice chair continued. 

Democrats have raised alarms that Trump could try to deploy federal agents to polling sites after the president expressed his wish to federalize several states’ elections. 

Gabbard previously told the committee in a February letter that she was present at the search at the president’s behest. The director added Wednesday that she was there to “ensure the integrity of our elections” and called Warner’s accusations about her involvement in the raid “false.” 

“I did not participate in a law enforcement activity, nor would I, because that does not exist within my authorities,” she said, adding that she was there to “observe” the operation and “say thank you to the FBI agents.”

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) also needled Gabbard about the breadth of her oversight at the raid, asking the DNI to clarify her assertion that she “oversaw the raid.”

Gabbard replied that she had managed “portions of it” but denied handling ballots or other election materials.

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