Gabbard's expanded role in election security draws scrutiny

"The concerns follow a series of election-related actions by Gabbard, including her recent appearance during an FBI raid of a Fulton County, Georgia elections office that was at the center of President Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud in 2020. Her team seized voting machines in Puerto Rico last year, per Reuters reporting, and has since said the systems contain cybersecurity vulnerabilities."

"Gabbard's agency is formally tasked with addressing foreign interference in U.S. elections, prompting questions about its expanding involvement in domestic election matters. The intelligence agencies overseen by ODNI are similarly focused on foreign threats and are generally restricted from conducting spying activities inside the United States."

""It's highly unusual for the Director of National Intelligence to be involved in election issues," Samantha Tarazi, CEO of Voting Rights Lab, said in an email. "The U.S. Constitution is clear that determining how our elections work is left to the states and Congress, not the federal executive. As neither the states nor Congress seem to have authorized the DNI's actions here, the constitutionality of those actions is highly questionable and deeply concerning.""

Tulsi Gabbard, as Director of National Intelligence, has increased involvement in election security and integrity efforts, prompting scrutiny over whether those actions align with ODNI's mandate and risk undermining public confidence in future elections. Actions attributed to Gabbard include an appearance during an FBI raid of a Fulton County, Georgia elections office tied to President Trump's false 2020 fraud claims and a Reuters-reported seizure of voting machines in Puerto Rico that her team said contained cybersecurity vulnerabilities. ODNI is formally tasked with addressing foreign election interference, while intelligence agencies are generally restricted from domestic spying. Her work has involved meetings with senior officials across agencies.

Read at Nextgov.com