“There were reports that in 2020 the president was preparing an executive order potentially seize ballots or bring in federal forces,” Warner said, citing a recent Washington Post report about conservative legal advocates pushing the president to craft such an order. 

Warner said, “There is a published report that there is a similar EO being drafted right now about 2026 citing China. Director Patel, do you have any knowledge of that draft EO?”

Patel replied, “Thank you, vice chairman. I do not, sir.”

Warner then turned to Gabbard, asking whether she had any knowledge of such a draft. “I do not,” she said.

The exchange added to an already tense start to the hearing in which Warner accused Gabbard of failing to provide the committee with legally required reports on foreign interference threats tied to U.S. elections. The conversation later turned to Warner’s concerns about her surprise January appearance in Fulton County, Georgia, during an FBI operation to seize 2020 election ballots.

Warner argued that the ballot seizure involved no demonstrated foreign nexus and was instead rooted in “conspiracy theories that have already been examined and rejected repeatedly.” He asked Gabbard what authority allowed her to insert herself into what he described as a domestic law enforcement matter.

Gabbard, who was spotted at the raid scene sporting a black baseball cap and dark coat, pushed back against the chairman’s assertion, saying his characterization was false.

WARNER: Where is the authority for you to involve yourself in a domestic law enforcement activity in Georgia?

TULSI GABBARD: I did not participate in a law enforcement activity

WARNER: You were on the scene. Are the photos false?

GABBARD: I was in Fulton County at the request… pic.twitter.com/c1fInzb211

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 18, 2026

“I did not participate in a law enforcement activity,” Gabbard said, adding she was present in Fulton County only “to observe the FBI’s activities” at the president’s request. She added that election security and counterintelligence responsibilities fall within ODNI’s mandate and said she was unaware of the contents of the warrant.

Later in the hearing, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) pressed Gabbard further on her role in the Fulton County operation, including her acknowledgment that Trump directly requested her presence on the day the warrant was executed.

Gabbard again said she was tasked with helping “oversee” aspects of the operation alongside FBI leadership, though she maintained her role fell within her statutory oversight of election security and counterintelligence.

Ossoff also questioned whether she had any direct interaction with ballots or election materials, noting she had been photographed inside an FBI evidence truck. Gabbard said the truck was empty and that her photographed did not indicate she handled any materials.

In an online post during the hearing, Gabbard spokeswoman Alexa Henning accused Warner of spreading falsehoods, particularly over his claim that ODNI had eliminated the office responsible for monitoring foreign election threats.

WATCH LIVE: TULSI GABBARD TESTIFIES BEFORE SENATE ON GLOBAL THREATS TO US

“All @MarkWarner does is lie,” Henning wrote on X, saying the Foreign Malign Influence Center had not been eliminated but instead folded into ODNI’s broader mission integration structure.

The public hearing concluded at around 12:30 local time on Wednesday, after which lawmakers left to reconvene for the closed session of the hearing slated to start around 1 p.m.