President Donald Trump offered a shifting explanation for the presence of Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, at an FBI search last week of the main elections hub in Fulton County, Georgia.
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Gabbard had said in a letter to lawmakers earlier this week that she attended the search at the request of Trump. But Trump on Thursday, speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast, asserted that Gabbard “went in at Pam’s insistence.” That’s a reference to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Gabbard’s arrival in Georgia raised immediate questions among Democratic officials because the FBI search of the election center was a law enforcement, not intelligence, activity and because the position of national intelligence director is typically focused on foreign threats rather than domestic concerns.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has said that he does not know why Gabbard was there and that she is not part of the FBI investigation. He’s also said that she is an important part of the administration’s efforts to protect election integrity.
