DNI Tulsi Gabbard Responds to “Blatantly False and Slanderous” Congressional and Media Accusations Regarding Integrity of Elections
After Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was photographed in Fulton County during the execution of a search warrant for 2020 election evidence, several members of Congress began to call into question DNI Gabbard’s authority to be involved.
Senator Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, “sharply criticized” the presence of the DNI in Fulton County. According to NBC News:
Warner said there were only two explanations for national intelligence director’s trip: either Gabbard believed the case had a link to foreign intelligence, and she failed to abide by her legal obligation to inform congressional committees about it, or she was tarnishing the nonpartisan reputation of the intelligence agencies with a “domestic political stunt designed to legitimize conspiracy theories that undermine our democracy.”
“Either scenario,” Warner added, “represents a serious breach of trust and a dereliction of duty to the solemn office which she holds.”
According to The Democracy Docket, David Becker, the founder of the Center for Election Innovation and Research (CEIR), told reporters last week:
“The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has no domestic responsibilities. There is no reason for the director of national intelligence to be in any kind of voting site. She has neither the authority nor the competence to assess anything in that voting site. And so it’s incredibly troubling to see something like that.”
CEIR received over $65 million in “Zuckerbucks” during the 2020 election. Becker is also the co-founder of the Electronic Registration and Information Center, a non-profit that has been tasked with maintaining voter rolls for more than a dozen states.
DNI Gabbard posted on Monday evening that, "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 Director of National Intelligence has and will continue to take action under my statutory authorities to secure our nation and ensure the integrity of our elections," followed by screen shots of a letter to Congress.
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
"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 counterintelligence (CI), foreign and other malign influence and cybersecurity. The FBI's intelligence/Counterintelligence divisions are one of the 18 elements that I oversee," Gabbard wrote.
"In twelve FBI Field Offices across the country, including the Atlanta Field Office, the senior FBI official (Assistant Director in Charge or Special Agent in Charge) is dual-hatted as my Domestic DNI-Representative. The Domestic DNI-Rep program was established in 2011 through a Memorandum of Understanding between the ODNI and the FBI."
DNI Gabbard said that the ODNI's Office of General Counsel found her actions "to be consistent and well within my statutory authorities as the Director of National Intelligence."
The letter than provides answers to questions raised assumedly by Congress:
Election Security is a National Security Issue
In response, DNI Gabbard states that, "The President and his Administration are committed to safeguarding the integrity of U.S. elections to ensure that neither foreign nor domestic powers undermine the American people's right to determine who our elected leaders are."
"As I publicly highlighted on 10 April 2025, ODNI has been actively reviewing intelligence reporting and assessments on election integrity since I took office," Gabbard writes. "As part of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center's responsibility to lead, manage, and coordinate counterintelligence matters related to elections security, NCSC personnel travelled with me to Fulton County to support this effort." She mentions that they were not present for the execution of the warrant.
The Director of National Intelligence has Broad Authority to Coordinate, Integrate, and Analyze Intelligence Related to Election Security.
DNI Gabbard states that, "To preserve the integrity of our elections, we must understand whether there has been foreign or other malign interference in our elections" and whether vulnerabilities exist for possible future exploitation.
Citing Section 102A of the National Security Act of 1947, Gabbard claims she "robust authority to coordinate and integrate national intelligence," including having "access to all national intelligence (consistent with other law), as well as the authority to establish objectives, priorities, and guidance for the IC to ensure timely and effective collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of national intelligence."
Further, "Section 6508 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2020 provides for the designation of a National Counterintelligence Officer within the NCSC to lead, manage, and coordinate CI matters related to election security."
Gabbard also invokes Executive Order 13848, originally signed by President Trump in September 2018 and extended by Joe Biden in September 2022. This Executive Order "tasked DNI with assessing foreign interference after every federal election."
ODNI Will Not Irresponsibly Share Incomplete Intelligence Assessments Concerning Foreign or Malign Interference in U.S. Elections
"As I publicly stated on 10 April 2025, there is information and intelligence reporting suggesting that electronic voting systems being used in the United States have long been vulnerable to exploitation that could result in enabling determined actors to manipulate the results of the votes being cast with the intent to change the outcome of an election," Gabbard wrote.
She wrote that, "Searching through intelligence holdings and conducting assessments with analytic rigor and excellence is an arduous and often time-consuming process," but ensures that the process makes a work product that is "independent of political considerations and based on all available sources."
Lastly, DNI Gabbard ends by citing Section 501(a)(2) of the National Security Act of 1947, specifically that the President does not need to obtain Congressional approval before initiating a significant intelligence activity and that Gabbard is not aware of the contents of the warrant or evidence of probable cause because the search warrant was issued "under seal."
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