The FBI said last week it was conducting a “court-authorised law enforcement activity” at the Fulton County Election Hub. Fulton County officials said that the government’s warrant “sought a number of records related to 2020 elections”.
Some local officials expressed anger at the raid.
“This is an assault on your vote,” Fulton County Commissioner Mo Ivory said.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has confirmed that she was present for the raid, saying that Trump personally asked her to be on-site.
Gabbard’s first comments on the matter came in a letter that was sent to a group of senators on Monday, saying her presence was “executed under [her] broad statutory authority to coordinate, integrate, and analyze intelligence related to election security, including counterintelligence (CI), foreign and other malign influence and cybersecurity”.
In the letter, Gabbard also confirmed that there had been a call in the wake of the raid between FBI agents on the ground and Trump. The call, which was first reported by the New York Times, raised some eyebrows as it is unusual for a president and law enforcement handling a case like this to be in communication.
Gabbard said she “facilitated a brief phone call for the president to thank the agents personally for their work. He did not ask any questions, nor did he or l issue any directives”.