Gabbard at Atlanta Raid: Justice Department Defends Director’s Involvement in Election Inquiry
United States Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard steps out of a vehicle outside the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant there in relation to the 2020 election, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter, in Union City, Georgia, U.S. January 28, 2026. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage
The Justice Department on Friday defended Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s presence at an FBI raid of an election office in Fulton County, Georgia.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated during a press conference that “this administration coordinates everything we do as a group” and emphasized that Gabbard’s attendance was not unexpected, noting it reflected her role in ensuring election integrity efforts. When asked whether her presence was unrelated to Department of Justice actions, Blanche clarified: “No, I did not say that. I said exactly the opposite. This administration works closely together in all kinds of different areas, and so I’m not sure if they’re surprised that the administration is working together on things like election integrity.”
Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about Gabbard’s involvement. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia questioned her presence via social media, stating: “Either Tulsi 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.”
Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia added: “My constituents in Georgia and I think much of the American public are quite reasonably alarmed in asking questions after the director of national intelligence was spotted bizarrely and personally lurking in an FBI evidence truck in Fulton County, Georgia.”
An FBI spokesperson confirmed agents were executing a court-authorized law enforcement action but declined to provide further details. A law enforcement official familiar with the matter indicated the raid is connected to investigations tied to the 2020 presidential election. The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, stated: “President [Donald] Trump and his entire team are committed to ensuring a U.S. election can never, ever be rigged again. Director Gabbard is playing a key lead role in this important effort.”
