ODNI explains Gabbard's presence at FBI raid on Georgia election hub

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has defended DNI Tulsi Gabbard's presence at a Fulton County election hub for an FBI raid, asserting that such operations fall entirely within her purview.

"Director Gabbard recognizes that election security is essential for the integrity of our republic and our nation’s security," ODNI spokeswoman Oliva Coleman said in a statement. "As DNI, she has a vital role in identifying vulnerabilities in our critical infrastructure and protecting against exploitation."

"We know through intelligence and public reporting that electronic voting systems have been and are vulnerable to exploitation," she added. "President Trump’s directive to secure our elections was clear, and DNI Gabbard has and will continue to take actions within her authorities, alongside our interagency partners, to support ensuring the integrity of our elections."

The FBI raided the Georgia facility this week as part of a criminal probe linked to the 2020 election. President Donald Trump has long insisted that he legitimately won the Peach State, but that fraud had influenced the outcome. The scope of the investigation remains unclear.

Gabbard's presence had attracted scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who opined that her involvement suggested the Trump administration was engaged in election interference.

"Why did Tulsi Gabbard take part in a raid on an elections office? We need to step up to protect our elections from this administration’s meddling," he asked.

An ODNI official pointed Just the News to a series of statutes explicitly vesting the DNI with the authority to investigate counterintelligence matters related to election integrity.

"The Director of National Intelligence shall designate a national counterintelligence officer within the National Counterintelligence and Security Center to lead, manage, and coordinate counterintelligence matters relating to election security," reads 50 U.S.C. § 3371d. If further empowers that official to address the election security supply chain, voting systems and software, registration databases, election infrastructure, and other relevant goods and services.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.