Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has undercut Donald Trump’s claim that he did not order her to get involved in the FBI’s controversial seizure of 2020 election ballots in Georgia.
Testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, Gabbard said she took part in the raid at the president’s request—contradicting his earlier claim that Attorney General Pam Bondi directed her to be there.
The FBI’s seizure of hundreds of boxes containing scanned ballots and other documents, and Gabbard’s mysterious presence during the search, alarmed critics who framed the move as retaliation for the president’s 2020 loss.
Concerns intensified in the days after the January raid, when MAGA stalwart Steve Bannon, who still has influence in Trump’s orbit, declared that it was part of a master plan to keep control of Congress and the White House by finally proving that the 2020 election was rigged.
“Yes, it is about 2026, and it’s about 2028,” Bannon said on War Room Podcast, in reference to November’s midterms and the next presidential election.
The administration has still not explained what the raid was about. But during a hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Democratic Senator Mark Warner asked Gabbard about her presence at a raid with a warrant “based entirely on conspiracy theories that have already been examined and rejected repeatedly.”
“Where is the authority for you to involve yourself in a domestic law enforcement activity?” he asked.
“I did not participate in a law enforcement activity, nor would I, because that does not exist within my authorities,” Gabbard said.
Warner interjected: “You were on the scene. Are the photos false?”
“I was at Fulton County, sir, at the request of the president, and to work with the FBI to observe this action that had long been awaited. I was not aware of what was in the warrant.”
Trump, however, has offered conflicting versions. He initially distanced himself from the decision before later claiming Bondi had urged Gabbard’s involvement.
“(Gabbard) took a lot of heat ... because she went in at Pam’s insistence ... and she looked at votes,” Trump said at a National Prayer Breakfast in February.
“They say, why is she doing it?” he told the crowd in Washington. “Because Pam wanted her to do it.”
The inconsistencies have fueled scrutiny over who authorized an operation that critics say represents an extraordinary intrusion into state election administration.
The raid outraged local officials and voting rights advocates, particularly after dozens of challenges to the results of the 2020 election yielded no credible evidence of widespread voter fraud.
Trump has nonetheless publicly called for greater federal control over voting systems and has amplified conspiracy theories alleging foreign interference without evidence.
At the same time, allies have circulated proposals urging him to take sweeping action ahead of upcoming elections.
One draft plan, promoted by MAGA election deniers such as Florida lawyer Peter Ticktin and My Pillow conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell, suggests using executive authority to overhaul the election and place voting infrastructure under federal control if he deems there is a threat of foreign interference.
Asked about this, a White House official told the Daily Beast that “White House staff are regularly in communication with a variety of outside advocates who want to share their policy ideas with the President.”
“But any speculation about policies the President may or may not announce is just that—speculation,” they added.
Under questioning, Gabbard was asked if she had any knowledge of the proposal.
“I do not,” she replied.
Asked why Trump knew about the FBI’s affidavit before it was even served, Gabbard replied: “I not aware that the president knew about it before it was served.”
“Then was why he sending you to Fulton County?” Warner asked.
“This occurred on the day that the FBI had their warrant approved by a local judge,” she said.
