Georgia
Tulsi Gabbard defends her presence at FBI search of Georgia elections hub
WASHINGTON — Tulsi Gabbard on Monday defended her presence at an FBI search of an election center in Fulton County, Georgia, that has raised questions about her involvement as director of national intelligence.
In a letter to the top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees, Gabbard said she was at the center last week in keeping with U.S. law and her responsibilities as the country’s top intelligence official.
Gabbard stood by her decision not to brief lawmakers about intelligence on possible threats to election security before her trip to Georgia, saying she would not “irresponsibly share incomplete assessments.”
“I will share our intelligence assessments with Congress once they are complete,” she wrote.
Gabbard went on to say she had broad authority as the director of national intelligence to oversee efforts to ensure U.S. elections are secure and to identify and analyze any potential foreign threats to elections or voting systems. In her letter, she acknowledged that she had arranged a call with FBI personnel and President Donald Trump.
Gabbard wrote that she placed a call in Fulton County to allow Trump to express his gratitude to the FBI agents who conducted the search.
“He did not ask any questions, nor did he or I issue any directives,” Gabbard wrote.
Two sources confirmed the phone call to NBC News on Monday. One source said Trump did not answer initially but eventually called back and briefly spoke with the agents, including the supervisory agent on the case.
The New York Times was first to report the call.
Gabbard said the office of general counsel at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence found her actions “to be consistent and well within my statutory authorities as the Director of National Intelligence.”
Monday’s letter — Gabbard’s first direct comments about her actions in Georgia, which have faced criticism as inappropriate in a domestic matter — comes a day after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said “I don’t know why” she was at the FBI’s search.
“She is not part of the grand jury investigation, but she is, for sure, a key part of our efforts at election integrity and making sure that we have free and fair elections,” Blanche said on CNN. “She’s an expert in that space, and it’s a big part of what she and her team look at every day.”
Blanche also said Sunday that he did not believe Trump was involved in the raid, overseen by the FBI and Justice Department. Trump had previously told reporters that federal agents “got into the votes. … You’re going to see some interesting things happening.”
On Friday, Blanche noted that Gabbard “doesn’t work for the Department of Justice or the FBI,” but he said her presence in Georgia is “something that shouldn’t surprise anybody.”
The Georgia raid was related to records from the 2020 presidential election; Fulton County officials have announced plans to sue the Trump administration over the matter. Gabbard’s presence drew scrutiny from national security experts, and it has raised questions about whether Gabbard, who was excluded from the operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, was seeking relevance in Trump’s eyes.
It would be highly unusual for a director of national intelligence to accompany FBI agents on a raid. In her role, Gabbard oversees the country’s spy agencies and is barred from taking part in domestic law enforcement.
An official at the Office of Director of National Intelligence told NBC News on Monday that Trump requested that Gabbard go to Fulton County and that federal law gives the person in Gabbard’s position the role of leading counterintelligence efforts related to election security and analyzing foreign interference. The FBI’s intelligence and counterintelligence divisions fall under Gabbard’s authority as national intelligence director overseeing the country’s 18 intelligence agencies, the official said.
FBI headquarters, as well as the FBI Atlanta field office, declined to comment.
Raquel Coronell Uribe contributed.
This story was updated to correct an error
OXFORD — The first game of Ole Miss baseball’s home series against Georgia has been postponed.
With rain the forecast for April 24, the decision was made to play a doubleheader on April 25 between the No. 18 Rebels (30-12, 10-8 SEC) and No. 5 Georgia (32-9, 13-5).
The first game will begin at 1 p.m. The second game will begin approximately 50 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. Both games will be streamed on SEC Network+.
Tickets and parking for the postponed game on April 24 will be honored for the second game on April 25.
The series has major implications in the SEC. The Bulldogs are in first place in the SEC standings.
Hunter Elliott (4-1, 3.78 ERA) will start for the Rebels in the first game on April 25. He will face Georgia pitcher Joey Volchko (6-2, 3.75 ERA).
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
1. 2x First Team All-ACC (2024,2025)
2. Played in 48 games, including 43 starts at Middle Tennessee (2022-23) and Georgia Tech (2024-25)
3. In 2025, led Georgia Tech offensive line that ranked 21st nationally in rushing yards per game (197.5) and third in fewest sacks allowed per game (0.69)
4. In his 4-year career (2022-25) he recorded 3,019 offensive snaps
5. He became the first Georgia Tech player since Pro Football Hall of Fame WR Calvin Johnson to be named a First Team All-American in consecutive years
At least eight wildfires continued to tear through parts of southern Georgia and northern Florida on Thursday amid severe drought conditions in the region.
As a result, parts of the Southeast are contending with hazardous air quality resulting from the smoke, with the worst conditions reported near Savannah, Georgia, and Columbia, South Carolina.
A major wildfire in Brantley County, Georgia, was approximately 15% contained as of Thursday morning after having burnt roughly 5,000 acres. The fire destroyed 54 structures and had threatened about 1,000 homes a day earlier, officials said.
Nearly 94% of the Southeast region is experiencing severe to exceptional drought, with the most extreme conditions centered in southern Georgia and northern Florida, where most of the wildfires are.
On Thursday, the U.S. Drought Monitor website released a map highlighting the current drought conditions in Florida. The Florida Panhandle is in a D4 Zone, the highest zone, shown in dark red, which historically means rapid groundwater decline. Other portions of the map show that a portion of Florida is in a D3 zone, meaning historically, fire risk is extreme, toxic algae blooms may appear, groundwater levels decline, nesting bird populations increase, and more.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday declared a state of emergency for 91 counties, which amounts to more than half the state.
“With much of Georgia remaining in extreme drought conditions, wildfires have already surpassed the state’s five-year average and continue to spread,” Kemp said.
“The emergency declaration allows the Georgia Department of Defense to mobilize the state’s National Guard troops for response and recovery efforts,” the governor’s office said in the Wednesday release.
State officials have issued a sweeping burn ban — the first in the Georgia Forestry Commission’s history — to prohibit yard debris burning, agricultural burning and prescribed fires for at least 30 days.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved Fire Management Assistance Grant declarations for counties affected in Georgia.
In a Facebook video posted Wednesday, Georgia Forestry Commission director Johnny Sabo said the state is facing “extreme drought conditions” and that the wildfires have already surpassed the state’s five-year average.
“Right now, Georgia Forestry Commission teams are fully mobilized, working alongside local, state, and federal partners to protect lives, property, and Georgia’s forests. This is an all-hands-on-deck effort,” Sabo said. “Air resources, heavy equipment, and firefighters are actively engaged in suppression and protection efforts.”
On Wednesday alone, the Georgia Forestry Commission reported that it had responded to 34 new wildfires that burned approximately 75 acres. That total does not include the Pineland Road Fire, which is estimated to have burned more than 29,600 acres and is 10% contained, or another fire in Brantley County, now estimated at 4,438 acres with 15% containment.
Three key ingredients typically raise the risk of wildfires: vegetation, an ignition source and hot, dry, windy weather.
Studies have shown that rising temperatures due to climate change are fueling longer wildfire seasons, and making blazes both more frequent and more destructive.
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