The Office of the Director of National Intelligence says it obtained and tested electronic voting machines from Puerto Rico and described some cybersecurity and deployment practices as "extremely concerning," though it has not released evidence. ODNI said the review responded to publicly reported claims of anomalies and was tied to broader inquiries reportedly associated with Tulsi Gabbard and requests from President Donald Trump. Election experts note voting machines are routinely tested, counted against paper ballots and audited, and several former officials criticized ODNI's hands-on role as unprecedented.
ODNI Obtained Puerto Rico Voting Machines for Security Tests — Experts Call Move Unprecedented
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet Meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, on December 2, 2025. - Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) says it obtained electronic voting machines from Puerto Rico and examined them for cybersecurity and deployment weaknesses — a move the agency described as part of a broader inquiry. In a statement to CNN, ODNI characterized some practices it observed as "extremely concerning" but did not release supporting evidence publicly.
What ODNI says happened
ODNI said the turnover of electronic voting hardware and software from Puerto Rico was voluntary and was facilitated by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Puerto Rico, agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and an FBI supervisory special agent. The agency has not specified when the equipment was received or when its review was completed.
Why the review was launched
According to ODNI, the review was prompted by "publicly reported claims relating to elections in Puerto Rico alleging discrepancies and systemic anomalies in their electronic voting systems." The agency also tied the work to broader voter-fraud inquiries reportedly associated with Tulsi Gabbard and to requests from President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly claimed the 2020 election was rigged — a claim courts and multiple audits have rejected.
Reactions from experts and former officials
David Becker, executive director of a nonpartisan nonprofit that advises election officials, told CNN that voting machines are subject to regular testing and strict chains of custody. He noted that many machines tabulate paper ballots that are audited and recounted to verify results, calling those procedures effective security controls.
Former intelligence and election-security officials told CNN that a hands-on ODNI role in examining election infrastructure is highly unusual. A former senior U.S. intelligence official with election-security experience called the move "well beyond what ODNI has the authority or expertise to do" and disparaged the effort as "amateur hour." Becker added that the ODNI activity "appears intended to intimidate and denigrate election officials," citing concerns about threats of prosecution and misinformation about election systems.
Transparency and next steps
Reuters first reported the ODNI probe and said the activity took place last spring. ODNI said it is coordinating with partners across the U.S. government to share findings with agencies that can act to strengthen election security, but it did not say whether it will publish detailed results. CNN has requested comment from Puerto Rico election officials.
Context: Election machines in the U.S. typically operate under multiple security controls — including pre- and post-election testing, chain-of-custody rules, paper ballots, and post-election audits — that experts say make covert manipulation difficult. Given ODNI's limited public disclosure so far, independent verification and greater transparency would be necessary to assess the agency's findings and their implications for Puerto Rico's elections.
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