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The White House has acknowledged that DNI Director Tulsi Gabbard played a direct role in an FBI raid on Georgia’s Fulton County election office.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: In case you missed it, the FBI raided the Fulton County election office in Georgia as part of a federal investigation into potential violations of election law stemming from the 2020 presidential election. The search warrant authorized agents to collect physical ballots, voter rolls, ballot images, and machine tabulator tapes tied to the disputed election in which President Trump narrowly lost Georgia to Joe Biden. Fulton County was ground zero for Trump’s claims that ballots were illegally counted, hidden in suitcases, and mishandled by election workers to tilt the outcome. These accusations spurred numerous lawsuits, public hearings, and widespread mistrust, especially among Trump supporters. Despite intense scrutiny, multiple recounts and state-led investigations, including by Republican officials, found no evidence of widespread fraud. Trump and 18 others were later indicted for allegedly conspiring to overturn Georgia’s results, with charges including racketeering and solicitation of election fraud. That case, however, was dismissed in 2025 after a judge disqualified District Attorney Fani Willis over a conflict of interest involving the special prosecutor she had appointed.

What’s going on now: The White House confirmed that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was directly involved in the FBI’s recent raid on the Fulton County election office. As head of the US intelligence community, Gabbard’s role is primarily focused on coordinating foreign intelligence operations and advising the president on global threats. Her presence at a domestic law enforcement operation has prompted questions about whether a foreign interference angle is being investigated.

The administration defended Gabbard’s involvement, stating she holds a “pivotal role in election security” and is executing President Trump’s directive to safeguard the electoral system from threats, including those targeting voting infrastructure and databases. According to reporting from The Wall Street Journal, Gabbard has spent recent months re-investigating the 2020 election, analyzing swing state data and voting machines, and briefing Trump and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

Democratic lawmakers have condemned Gabbard’s actions. Senator Mark Warner, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, stated that her presence at the raid represents either a failure to report relevant national security concerns or a politicization of the intelligence community. “Either she’s withholding intelligence from Congress, or she’s abusing her role to legitimize conspiracy theories,” Warner said. Representative Joaquin Castro also called her involvement “extremely unusual” and demanded a congressional investigation.