Federal officials warn that rising mistrust of the Trump administration among state and local election administrators could undermine routine cooperation with the FBI and other agencies, potentially creating openings for foreign influence. An FBI outreach email offering midterm security support followed the high-profile Fulton County search and coincided with reported intelligence activity around voting machines. Officials say cuts to election-security resources and inflammatory rhetoric have eroded relationships that were previously collaborative, heightening the risk that adversaries could exploit weakened coordination before the midterms.
State Mistrust of Trump Administration Could Undermine U.S. Election Security, Officials Warn
An election worker examines a ballot at the Clackamas County Elections office May 19, 2022, Oregon City, Ore. - Gillian Flaccus/AP/File
Growing suspicion among state and local election administrators about the Trump administration’s motives is raising alarm among federal officials who warn that broken trust — even of routine FBI outreach — could hamper cooperation and create openings for foreign adversaries to influence U.S. elections.
This week, an FBI official sent a routine invitation to senior state election administrators proposing a discussion about how federal agencies could support security efforts for the midterm elections. The email, reviewed by CNN, said the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and other agencies wanted to consult with election officials about available assistance — a message that has been sent repeatedly since Russia’s 2016 influence campaign.
But the outreach arrived days after the FBI executed a search warrant at the Fulton County, Georgia, elections office and seized ballots tied to the 2020 contest — a high-profile action that alarmed many election administrators. It also coincided with reported actions by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to examine voting machines, moves framed in the article as linked to DNI activity supporting former President Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated 2020-fraud claims.
Meanwhile, President Trump has publicly discussed plans to "take over the voting" in multiple jurisdictions and to "nationalize" elections — comments that have prompted shifting explanations from administration officials and further exacerbated concerns among election professionals.
United States Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard speaks on the phone while standing at the edge of a truck loading bay after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant for the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center in relation to the 2020 election, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter, in Union City, Georgia, U.S. January 28, 2026. - Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters
One anonymous Republican election official told CNN that the Fulton County search and reductions in federal election-security resources during the second Trump administration have contributed to an "erosion of trust" between many state and local administrators and federal partners. "The Fulton County search raises concerns among a lot of election officials," the official said.
"If coordination between states, the FBI and other federal agencies breaks down, foreign intelligence services could gain the upper hand if they try to shape or disrupt elections," a U.S. official warned.
During the first Trump administration, federal agencies built an extensive security apparatus to detect and defend against foreign influence campaigns. According to reports cited in this article, the current administration has scaled back some of those resources, including closing centers focused on countering foreign influence at the FBI and within the intelligence community — a shift that has heightened concern among current and former officials as the midterms approach.
Officials inside the election community acknowledged that the FBI email "in theory" should be routine and useful. But several sources said broader actions and rhetoric from administration figures have damaged the working relationships that once made federal–state coordination effective.
Don Palmer, a commissioner at the federal Election Assistance Commission, described the planned call with state officials as "an opportunity to introduce points of contact for the midterm election year and share information." Stephen Richer, a former Republican election official in Maricopa County who faced threats after saying the 2020 election was secure, said there was previously "a wonderful level of familiarity" between federal and local officials. Now, he added, a "fair number" of election administrators may view federal actors as potential "adversaries."
What officials say matters now: Restoring transparent, reliable channels of communication with state and local election administrators is essential to preserve coordinated defenses against foreign interference ahead of the midterm elections.
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