President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was present during the FBI raid in Fulton County, Georgia, to maintain election integrity even though her office doesn’t directly oversee the issue.
“She’s working very hard on trying to keep the election safe, and she’s done a very good job,” he said of Gabbard. “They got into the votes with a signed judge’s order in Georgia, and you’re going to see some interesting things happening. They’ve been trying to get there for a long time.”
The FBI executed a search warrant on Wednesday at an election facility in Fulton County, which was at the center of alleged voter fraud and election litigation following the 2020 presidential election. Ever since his election loss that year, Trump has consistently spoken out against election fraud.
Gabbard was photographed in Fulton County on the day of the raid as the FBI seized 2020 election ballots. Her appearance largely went unexplained, provoking outrage from Democrats.
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) is especially concerned about what the retroactive federal review of election results means for the future.
“This is a seismic event. This should have people across the country absolutely shook. This is a huge deal,” Ossoff said. “And here’s the thing: This is a shot across the bow at the midterm elections. [Trump] tried to steal power when he lost it in 2020. We have to be prepared for all kinds of schemes and shenanigans. We have to be prepared for him to try to deprive people of their voting rights.”
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, was also not fond of Gabbard’s surprise appearance in Georgia.
“Either Director Gabbard believes there was a legitimate foreign intelligence nexus — in which case she is in clear violation of her obligation under the law to keep the intelligence committees ‘fully and currently informed’ of relevant national security concerns — or she is once again demonstrating her utter lack of fitness for the office that she holds by injecting the nonpartisan intelligence community she is supposed to be leading into a domestic political stunt designed to legitimize conspiracy theories that undermine our democracy,” Warner said on X.
“Either is a serious breach of trust that further underscores why she is totally unqualified to hold a position that demands sound judgment, apolitical independence, and a singular focus on keeping Americans safe,” he added.
Gabbard has not explained her involvement in the case herself. An administration official has said she plays a “pivotal role in election security and protecting the integrity of our elections against interference, including operations targeting voting systems, databases, and election infrastructure.”
Trump answered various questions at the Kennedy Center premiere of first lady Melania Trump’s eponymous documentary, scheduled for a Friday theatrical release.
When asked about his administration’s immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, the president replied he would not be pulling back.
“We want to keep our country safe. We’ll do whatever we can to keep our country safe,” he said.
His administration is facing increasing scrutiny after immigration officers killed two American citizens in Minneapolis this month. Despite the public outcry, federal personnel will not be leaving.
JON OSSOFF CALLS FOR MORE ATTENTION TOWARD ‘SEISMIC’ FULTON COUNTY RAID
The president also revealed he will announce his choice to become the next Federal Reserve chairman Friday morning, confirming he knows who he’s going to pick.
Former Fed governor Kevin Warsh, BlackRock executive Rick Rieder, Fed governor Christopher Waller, and White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett are among the top contenders for the position. The nominee, whoever it is, will replace Jerome Powell once his term as chairman ends in May.
