Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Monday that President Donald Trump personally requested her presence during an FBI search of an election center in Georgia last week, a revelation that has intensified concerns among Democratic lawmakers and local officials.
Gabbard addressed the controversy in a letter sent Monday to Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence committees. In the letter, which she later shared publicly on X, Gabbard insisted her involvement was lawful and limited in scope.
“My presence was requested by the President and executed under my broad statutory authority to coordinate, integrate, and analyze intelligence related to election security,” Gabbard wrote, citing counterintelligence, foreign and malign influence, and cybersecurity responsibilities. She emphasized that she was present in Fulton County only briefly and acted “well within my statutory authorities.”
According to Gabbard, her role included facilitating a short phone call in which Trump personally thanked FBI agents at the Atlanta field office for their work. She stressed that the president “did not ask any questions,” nor did either of them issue directives during the interaction.
The explanation has done little to ease Democratic concerns. Rachel Cohen, a spokesperson for Warner, said Gabbard’s letter raised more questions than it answered. “Senator Warner plans to continue pressing for accountability,” Cohen said in a statement Tuesday, signaling that oversight efforts are likely to continue.
Mar 25, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; Tulsi Gabbard, director of National Intelligence, at the Senate Committee on Intelligence hearings to examine worldwide threats on Tuesday, March 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY via Imagn Images
The FBI search itself has drawn sharp criticism from Fulton County officials, who objected to the operation and framed it as political retaliation tied to Trump’s 2020 election loss and the now-dropped election interference case against him. That case was dismissed in November, but tensions surrounding election oversight in Georgia have remained high.
Fulton County officials say they plan to challenge the search in court. Commissioner Marvin Arrington said the county will file a motion contesting “the legality of the warrant and the seizure of sensitive election records,” and will seek the return of any ballots taken by federal authorities.
