White House Offers Shifting Story on Gabbard’s Presence at Georgia Raid

Nytimes reports that President Trump said Attorney General Pam Bondi directed Tulsi Gabbard to be present for the F.B.I. seizure and search of voter rolls in Georgia, the administration’s fourth explanation for her involvement. U.S. officials told The New York Times that Mr.

Trump personally ordered Ms. Gabbard to go to Atlanta and coordinated her actions with Andrew Bailey, one of two deputy F.B.I. directors. During the search agents seized truckloads of ballots, and Ms. Gabbard used her cellphone to call Mr. Trump, who addressed agents on speakerphone.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president had tapped Ms. Gabbard to oversee the sanctity and security of elections as part of a “coordinated whole of government effort.” Mr. Trump’s explanations varied in interviews and at the National Prayer Breakfast, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said he did not know why she was there while calling her a key part of election-integrity efforts.