Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard arranged a call between President Donald Trump and FBI agents who took part in a raid on a Georgia election facility, multiple outlets reported.
Sources said that Gabbard brokered a short call after the raid, which lasted about one minute. On the call, Trump asked a few questions and praised the agents, with one source likening it to a halftime pep talk for players, though he didn’t give them any substantial direction.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche acknowledged that Gabbard had brokered the call on Monday in an appearance on Fox News, noting it with approval.
“The president talks to law enforcement all week long, and so the fact that he talked with agents working hard doesn’t surprise me, and actually, I love it. It’s great,” he said.
Blanche said he didn’t have much more information, though he offered up that Gabbard was simply in the area rather than part of the investigation.
After agents raided an election center in Fulton County, the DNI raised eyebrows for being at the site of the operation despite her office not directly overseeing the issue. Trump praised her role the day after, saying she was working to keep elections secure.
“She’s working very hard on trying to keep the election safe, and she’s done a very good job,” he said of Gabbard. “They got into the votes with a signed judge’s order in Georgia, and you’re going to see some interesting things happening. They’ve been trying to get there for a long time.”
DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL SAYS ‘I DON’T KNOW’ WHY GABBARD WAS PRESENT AT GEORGIA FBI RAID
Democrats quickly cried foul over Gabbard’s role, with Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) claiming it was a preamble to an assault on voting rights.
“This is a seismic event. This should have people across the country absolutely shook. This is a huge deal,” Ossoff said. “And here’s the thing: This is a shot across the bow at the midterm elections. [Trump] tried to steal power when he lost it in 2020. We have to be prepared for all kinds of schemes and shenanigans. We have to be prepared for him to try to deprive people of their voting rights.”
