Senate to Grill DNI Tulsi Gabbard Over Role in FBI Fulton County Ballot Raid and Handling of NSA Whistleblower Complaint
Senators will question DNI Tulsi Gabbard over her role in an FBI search of the Fulton County elections hub after she confirmed President Trump personally requested she attend, that she briefly facilitated a call between Trump and FBI agents, and that agents seized roughly 656 boxes of 2020 ballots and related materials amid conflicting explanations from within the White House. Lawmakers will also probe allegations from an NSA whistleblower’s lawyer that Gabbard restricted distribution of a whistleblower complaint about a foreign intercept and shared it with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles — charges Gabbard denies, saying she only recently saw the complaint — and which Sen. Mark Warner says may have delayed notifying the intelligence community and Congress; she is scheduled to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 18.
đź“Ś Key Facts
- President Trump personally requested and 'specifically directed' DNI Tulsi Gabbard to be present at the FBI search of the Fulton County elections hub; reporting says he ordered her in a late‑January Situation Room meeting to help oversee an investigation and that she attended the warehouse storing 2020 ballots and observed the raid.
- Gabbard says she attended only briefly, thanked agents at the Atlanta field office, and 'facilitated' a short phone call putting Trump on speaker so he could address agents; she insists neither she nor Trump gave any directives to the agents.
- Gabbard defended the visit as within her 'broad statutory authority' over election security, counterintelligence, foreign influence and cybersecurity and cited unspecified intelligence that 'electronic voting systems have been vulnerable to exploitation,' while acknowledging she has not seen the actual warrant and not explaining why Fulton County was singled out.
- FBI agents seized roughly 656 boxes of original 2020 ballots and related election materials (including tabulator tapes, electronic ballot images and voter rolls); Fulton County has filed a sealed motion seeking the return of those materials and says it will challenge the warrant's legality in court.
- There are conflicting accounts within the White House and administration about why Gabbard was there — Trump has also said AG Pam Bondi insisted she attend — highlighting internal inconsistency in explanations.
- DNI Gabbard is scheduled to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 18; the normally annual worldwide‑threats hearing will focus heavily on her conduct related to the Fulton County search and other matters.
- Separately, whistleblower attorney Andrew Bakaj alleges Gabbard restricted distribution of an NSA whistleblower complaint about a foreign call referencing a person close to Trump and shared it with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles; Sen. Mark Warner criticized Gabbard for not alerting the intelligence community and Congress for as long as eight months. Gabbard denies the claim, saying she only saw the complaint two weeks ago and calling the allegations a 'blatant lie.'
đź“° Source Timeline (7)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
February 10, 2026
8:44 PM
Trump’s spy chief Tulsi Gabbard is in the hot seat
New information:
- Confirms that Gabbard will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 18 in what is normally an annual worldwide‑threats hearing but will now focus heavily on her conduct.
- Details that Gabbard told Congress she "facilitated" a brief call between Trump and FBI agents at the Fulton County search site, while Trump publicly claimed Attorney General Pam Bondi insisted she attend — a direct conflict of accounts.
- Adds whistleblower attorney Andrew Bakaj on the record saying he stands by his claim that Gabbard restricted distribution of a NSA whistleblower complaint about a foreign call referencing a person close to Trump and shared it with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
- Reports Sen. Mark Warner’s specific criticism that if there were foreign interference tied to that intercept, Gabbard failed her obligation by not alerting the intelligence community and Congress for as long as eight months.
- Includes Gabbard’s weekend statement claiming she only saw the complaint for the first time two weeks ago and calling the allegations against her a “blatant lie,” escalating the public dispute between her office, Warner, and the whistleblower’s lawyer.
12:10 AM
Gabbard’s 2020 Election Claims Put Her Back in Favor With Trump
New information:
- In a late‑January Situation Room meeting on Syria, Trump abruptly shifted topics and ordered DNI Tulsi Gabbard to help oversee an FBI investigation into his baseless claims of 2020 election irregularities, telling her, “You go do that, you get it done.”
- Days later, Gabbard personally appeared at the Fulton County warehouse storing 2020 ballots, observing and overseeing the FBI raid as agents seized ballot materials.
- After the operation, Gabbard met with FBI agents and put Trump on speakerphone so he could address them directly—a highly unusual move that breaks the traditional presidential distance from specific investigations.
- The article situates these actions in the context of Gabbard’s fluctuating standing with Trump, noting that her aggressive posture on the 2020 probe has put her back in his good graces after prior rebukes for public comments and media appearances.
February 06, 2026
3:20 PM
White House offers differing explanations for Gabbard's presence at FBI Georgia raid
New information:
- CBS characterizes the situation as the Trump White House offering differing explanations for why DNI Tulsi Gabbard was at the FBI’s search of the Fulton County election headquarters.
- The segment reinforces that the conflicting accounts are coming from within the administration itself, underscoring internal inconsistency rather than just Trump versus outside critics.
February 05, 2026
7:58 PM
Trump claims DNI Tulsi Gabbard was at Georgia election hub search because AG Pam Bondi wanted her there
New information:
- Trump told the National Prayer Breakfast that Tulsi Gabbard went to the Fulton County election hub search 'at Pam’s [AG Pam Bondi’s] insistence' and that 'she went in, and she looked at votes… because Pam wanted her to do it.'
- The Fox piece confirms Gabbard’s private letter to key Hill intel members in which she writes that Trump 'specifically directed' her to be present and defends the visit as within her statutory ODNI authority over election‑security and counterintelligence.
- The article spells out that agents seized approximately 656 boxes of original 2020 ballots and related election materials under a warrant seeking ballots, tabulator tapes, electronic ballot images, and voter rolls.
- It notes that Fulton County has filed a sealed motion in federal court seeking the return of those 2020 ballots and documents.
- Trump again publicly characterizes Gabbard as 'working very hard on trying to keep the election safe' and reiterates his belief the 2020 election was unfair.
February 03, 2026
8:13 AM
Intelligence director says Trump requested her presence at FBI search of Georgia election center
New information:
- Gabbard’s letter explicitly confirms that President Trump personally asked her to attend the FBI search of the Fulton County elections hub.
- She acknowledges that she 'facilitated' a brief phone call between Trump and FBI agents at the Atlanta field office during the operation, while insisting no directives were given.
- She cites unspecified intelligence that 'electronic voting systems have been vulnerable to exploitation' as her justification for viewing the search as part of her election‑security remit, though she says she has not seen the actual warrant and does not explain why Fulton County was singled out.
5:50 AM
Gabbard says Trump asked her to attend FBI raid at Georgia elections hub
New information:
- Gabbard’s letter states explicitly that Trump 'requested' her presence at the Fulton County FBI search and that she attended only briefly.
- She cites her 'broad statutory authority' to coordinate intelligence related to election security, counter‑intelligence, foreign influence and cybersecurity as justification for being onsite.
- Gabbard says she thanked FBI agents at the Atlanta field office and set up a short call in which Trump thanked agents but 'did not ask any questions, nor did he or I issue any directives.'
- Fulton County officials publicly characterize the search as retaliation for Trump’s 2020 loss and the since‑dropped Georgia election‑interference case, and say they will move in court to challenge the legality of the warrant and force the return of seized ballots and 'sensitive election records.'