Sen. Mark Warner Presses DNI Tulsi Gabbard Over Role in Georgia Probe, Whistleblower Delays Raise Oversight Concerns

On Feb. 8, 2026, Sen. Mark Warner (D‑Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, spoke with Margaret Brennan on CBS's Face the Nation about election security, recent Department of Justice activity in Georgia and questions surrounding Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's conduct.

Warner: No Evidence Of Foreign Nexus So Far

Warner told Brennan the committee has not been informed of any foreign nexus that would justify the ODNI's presence at a Jan. 28 FBI search in Fulton County, Ga., where agents seized ballots and 2020 voting records. He emphasized that the ODNI's primary mission is outward‑facing—focused on foreign threats—and that past reforms since Watergate were designed to limit presidential involvement in domestic criminal matters.

"We have not been informed of any foreign nexus," Warner said, calling attention to the unusual optics of the DNI appearing at a domestic criminal probe and questioning how White House officials would learn about a local search‑warrant action in advance.

Troubling Timeline And Mixed Explanations

Brennan and Warner discussed media reports that Gabbard was seen outside the Fulton County elections office and that she had previously been involved in seizing voting machines in Puerto Rico earlier in the year. Warner said some of those activities were first learned by members of Congress from press reports, citing Reuters coverage about the Puerto Rico action.

He criticized a series of shifting explanations about who requested Gabbard's presence—initially Gabbard said the president had asked her to go; the president later denied asking; then other names were suggested—saying the inconsistent accounts increased concerns about the episode.

Whistleblower Complaint And Oversight Friction

Warner described a whistleblower complaint that surfaced in May and said the Gang of Eight on Capitol Hill did not learn of the matter until November; the committee received a heavily redacted version in February. He said a long‑serving prior inspector general had considered the original complaint credible, while a subsequent inspector general reached a different conclusion about urgency and credibility.

Because the materials the committee has seen are redacted, Warner said he cannot yet judge the merits of the complaint but criticized the timing and the apparent failure to provide whistleblower materials to Congress promptly. He said the panel is working to obtain unredacted documents and any underlying intelligence, and that the whistleblower has been awaiting legal guidance on how to approach the committee.

Concerns About Erosion Of Election‑Security Capabilities

Warner also warned that key election‑security entities and programs created after 2016 have been scaled back. He pointed to staffing cuts at CISA, reductions to an FBI center for foreign malign influence and what he described as the disassembly of the ODNI's Foreign Malign Influence Center. He said those moves run counter to statutory intent and weaken the government's ability to detect and counter foreign efforts targeting U.S. elections.

Warner further raised broader concerns about rhetoric from former President Donald Trump about "nationalizing" elections and placing federal officials in charge in certain states, arguing such moves could suppress turnout or invite inappropriate federal involvement in local election administration.

On Competence And Next Steps

Responding to public exchanges in which Director Gabbard accused him of lying, Warner said he does not believe Gabbard has been competent in her role, citing the apparent failure to follow whistleblower procedures, her presence at domestic investigations and the cuts to foreign‑influence capabilities. He said Congress expects the DNI to provide the committee with any underlying intelligence that justifies ODNI involvement in domestic matters.

Brief Note On Iran

When the interview shifted to Iran, Warner said recent U.S. strikes had degraded—but not entirely destroyed—some Iranian nuclear capabilities and expressed support for ongoing diplomacy. He warned that U.S. capacity to apply pressure depends on available military assets and allied cooperation.

Warner and Committee Chair Sen. Tom Cotton (R‑Ark.) have been jointly seeking further briefings and material on these matters; Warner said additional oversight activity is likely as the committee pursues unredacted documents and direct testimony where appropriate.