Gabbard spokesperson says Trump and Bondi both asked intel chief to be present for FBI Fulton County search

Washington — A spokesperson for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard says both President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi asked Gabbard to be present for an FBI search of the elections headquarters in Fulton County, Georgia, last week, after Gabbard and Mr. Trump offered seemingly conflicting explanations for her presence. 

"As the president said, he asked for Director Gabbard to be there," Gabbard spokesperson Alexa Henning wrote on X. "Attorney General Bondi also asked for her to be there. Two things can be true at the same time."

In a letter to Democratic lawmakers Monday, Gabbard said her presence "was requested by the president." She also said she "facilitated" a brief phone call between the president and FBI agents who carried out the search, although she also said the president didn't offer the agents any directives.

Gabbard's attendance at the search elicited strong criticism from Democrats, who said the intelligence chief should not be involved in domestic law enforcement operations. Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, earlier this week called on Gabbard to testify under oath, saying she "needs to explain why she believed it was appropriate to involve herself in a domestic criminal investigation."

On Thursday morning at the National Prayer Breakfast, the president said Gabbard attended the search "at Pam's insistence," referring to Bondi.

"She took a lot of heat two days ago because she went in, at Pam's insistence, she went in, and she looked at votes that want to be checked out from Georgia," Mr. Trump said. "They say, 'Why is she doing it?' Right, Pam? 'Why is she doing it?' Because Pam wanted her to do it."

But the president also said earlier this week that he didn't know why Gabbard was there. In an interview with NBC News on Wednesday, Mr. Trump said "I don't know" when asked why she was present for the search. "But a lot of the cheating comes from, it's international cheating," he said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked to address the seeming discrepancy between Mr. Trump saying he didn't know why Gabbard was there and Gabbard saying he told her to go.

"I was in the room for that NBC interview [sic], and he just said exactly what I told you which is election security is essential to national security," Leavitt said during Thursday afternoon's press briefing. "We need to ensure that our elections are free and are fair and are free of foreign interference. And he spoke about how Ms. Tulsi Gabbard is involved in that effort. So you're taking like the first three words that he said to one question and not looking at his entire response." 

Mr. Trump has continued to insist, despite no evidence of widespread fraud, that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. 

Fulton County officials are demanding the return of 2020 election ballots and other materials the FBI seized. On Wednesday, Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said during a news conference that county officials have formally asked a federal judge to order the return of the election materials.

"This is a serious case," Pitts said. "Our Constitution is at stake in this fight. The Constitution is the law of the land. It is not a suggestion."

Georgia was a critical state in the 2020 presidential election. Joe Biden won by just under 12,000 votes, a result that was confirmed by several recounts and audits. Mr. Trump won Georgia in 2024.