Trump Denies Sending Gabbard to Georgia FBI Raid
President Donald Trump told NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas he did not know why Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was present during an FBI raid on the Fulton County Election Hub in Georgia on January 28, stating only that “a lot of the cheating comes from, it’s international cheating.” This claim directly contradicts Gabbard’s own written statement to senators, in which she asserted that her presence was requested by Trump himself and executed under her statutory authority to coordinate intelligence related to election security.
Gabbard wrote to Senator Mark Warner and Representative Jim Himes that her role as Director of National Intelligence authorized her to investigate foreign and malign influence on elections. However, Trump’s disavowal of knowledge about her presence during the raid creates an explicit factual contradiction with her account. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche attempted to clarify the situation, stating that Gabbard was “in the area where the search took place” but “not part of this investigation,” while also calling her an “expert” on election integrity without explanation.
Trump has offered multiple conflicting explanations for Gabbard’s presence at the Georgia location. At a Kennedy Center screening on January 29, Trump said Gabbard was “working very hard” to investigate 2020 election fraud. At the National Prayer Breakfast on February 5, Trump claimed it was Attorney General Pam Bondi who sent Gabbard to Georgia, stating that “she went in at Pam’s insistence” to examine votes from the state.
The contradictions among Trump, Gabbard, Blanche, and Bondi reflect the absence of a coherent official account regarding the purpose of Gabbard’s involvement in the Georgia operation. Gabbard now faces intense scrutiny as whistleblowers have raised concerns about her conduct as DNI director, including allegations that she has obstructed efforts to provide reports to Congress.
The discrepancies underscore Trump’s pattern of using intelligence officials to investigate claims of election fraud that lack substantiation, while simultaneously denying direct involvement in those same operations when questioned by press outlets.