Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Monday President Trump requested her presence during an FBI search of an election center in Georgia last week.
Why it matters: Her presence in Fulton County alarmed some Democratic lawmakers, but Gabbard in a letter Monday to the top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees said she acted "well within my statutory authorities."
Zoom in: Gabbard said in the letter to Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) she was only present for a brief period of time.
- "My presence was requested by the President and executed under my broad statutory authority to coordinate, integrate, and analyze intelligence related to election security, including counter-intelligence, foreign and other malign influence and cybersecurity," Gabbard wrote.
- She thanked FBI agents at the field office in Atlanta "and facilitated a brief phone call for the President to thank the agents personally for their work," per the letter that Gabbard shared on X.
- "He did not ask any questions, nor did he or l issue any directives."
Contrary to the blatantly false and slanderous accusations being made against me by Members of Congress and their friends in the propaganda media, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has and will continue to take action under my statutory authorities to secure our… pic.twitter.com/eX4Kdnp8oU
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) February 3, 2026
Of note: Fulton County officials objected to the search and said it amounted to retaliation by Trump's allies over his 2020 election loss and subsequent election interference case, which was dropped in November.
- They plan to file a motion in court challenging "the legality of the warrant and the seizure of sensitive election records, and force the government to return the ballots taken," Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington said in a media statement Monday.
Go deeper: Patel defends FBI raid as Georgia officials demand answers
