Intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard’s office obtained and tested voting machines in Puerto Rico
In a statement made to CNN on Wednesday, it was stated that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence had obtained voting machines from Puerto Rico and was investigating them for security vulnerabilities.
Extraordinary move comes amid Director of National Intelligence Tulsi GabbardA broader investigation into voter fraud. President Donald Trump’s orderHe falsely claimed that the 2020 election was rigged, despite numerous court rulings and audits disproving the claim. Gabbard was there FBI agents executed a search warrant There was an incident related to the 2020 election last week in Fulton County, Georgia.
In its statement, ODNI claimed that cybersecurity and operational deployment practices at voting machines in Puerto Rico were “extremely concerning” but did not provide evidence.
An ODNI spokesman said the U.S. attorney in Puerto Rico, Homeland Security Investigations agents and the FBI supervisory special agent “facilitated the voluntary transfer of electronic voting hardware and software to ODNI for analysis.” It’s unclear exactly when the agency received and inspected the voting machines.
In justifying its voting equipment investigation, the ODNI cited “publicly disclosed allegations of inconsistencies and systemic anomalies in electronic voting systems related to elections in Puerto Rico.”
David Becker, executive director of a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that works with election officials, told CNN that voting machines are subject to regular testing and a strict chain of custody. Machines count paper ballots, which are inspected and recounted to verify machine counts. These are all security controls that have been proven effective, he said.
The director of national intelligence coordinates intelligence from 17 other agencies in the U.S. intelligence community. Former intelligence officials and election experts told CNN that it is unprecedented for the ODNI to play such a hands-on role in election infrastructure.
“This is well beyond what ODNI has the authority or expertise to do,” a former US intelligence official who worked on election security told CNN on Wednesday in reaction to the ODNI’s statement. “This is amateur hour.”
ODNI activity in Puerto Rico “appears to be aimed at intimidating and smearing election officials, as well as constant threats of prosecution and repeated lies about our election system,” Becker told CNN.
Reuters first reported The ODNI investigation in Puerto Rico said the activity occurred last spring.
It was unclear if and when ODNI would release more public information about its voting equipment investigation in Puerto Rico. An ODNI spokesperson said the agency is “currently coordinating with our partners across the U.S. government to present the findings from our investigation to agencies who may take action to improve the security of our system.”
CNN requested comment from election officials in Puerto Rico.
For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at: CNN.com
