AMNA NAWAZ: We're learning new details about the# FBI raid on an elections office in Fulton County,## Georgia, last week.

Director of National# Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard explained in a## letter to Congress that President Trump personally## asked her to be on site as federal# agents executed that search warrant.

The incident has raised serious questions# about election security and federal authority.

White House correspondent Liz Landers has# been following all of this and joins us now.

So, Liz, let's start with the FBI raid# in Georgia and Tulsi Gabbard's role.

What## more do we know about why she was there?

LIZ LANDERS: Well, this has been raising## concerns amongst Democrats in Congress, who# asked her to explain her presence.

So she## wrote this letter late last night defending# why she was down there in Fulton County.

She said that: "The president specifically# directed my observance of the execution of## the Fulton County search warrant."

She also# in this letter confirmed a phone call that## she facilitated between President Trump and# FBI agents who participated in that operation,## which I should underscore, Amna, is very unusual.

White House Press Secretary# Karoline Leavitt was asked## about this and explained a bit more# about Gabbard's role this afternoon.

KAROLINE LEAVITT, White House Press Secretary:# This is a coordinated whole-of-government effort## to ensure that our elections, again, are fair# and transparent moving forward.

I don't see## anything wrong with the president tasking# a Cabinet member to pursue an issue that## most people want to see solved.

Maybe you# don't, but I know many Americans do want## to make sure our elections are protected, and# that's what Tulsi Gabbard is focused on doing.

LIZ LANDERS: And Fulton County election officials# there are saying that they are going to sue the## FBI and the Department of Justice over the# search warrant that they say was not proper.

AMNA NAWAZ: I'm sure you have heard there are some# who are worrying this could be a sort of dry run## for other places to interfere in the 2026 midterms# and beyond.

What are you hearing about that?

LIZ LANDERS: Well, one of the main# concerns about what happened in Fulton## County is that they seized voter rolls.

That# was something we saw in the warrant last week.

And there are concerns from other state election# officials about this now.

I spoke earlier with## Tammy Patrick.

She served as a Maricopa# County election official for 11 years.

TAMMY PATRICK, National Association for Election# Officials: And I think that state and local## officials for a number of months now, if not for# the last year, have been reviewing and getting a## better understanding of what the laws are in their# state around their voting materials post-election,## who has access to them, what needs to be done# in order for someone to gain that access,## and what are the protocols for chain of custody to## make sure that the integrity of the# materials remains and is retained?

LIZ LANDERS: Patrick also added that# these local election officials are## working very closely with their county# and state attorneys right now to make## sure that they are properly maintaining# voting material even after the voting## concludes in case there are these kinds of# operations that happen further down the line.

One more thing that I would add, Amna,# Senator Mark Warner, who sent that letter## to Tulsi Gabbard, he is also worried that the# kinds of actions that we saw in Fulton County,## seizing election materials, that# that could spread to other states.

AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, we heard from the# president yesterday in a radio interview## saying Republicans should nationalize# the voting in some states ahead of the## midterms.

He doubled down on that# idea today.

Here's what he said.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States:# Look at some of the places that -- horrible## corruption on elections.

And the federal# government should not allow that.

The## federal government should get involved.

These# are agents of the federal government to count## the votes.

If they can't count the votes legally# and honestly, then somebody else should take over.

AMNA NAWAZ: Liz, the question is,## does the president have the power to#.. LIZ LANDERS: The short answer to this is no.

And it's worth reminding people what# the Constitution says specifically## about how elections are supposed to# be administered in this country.

The## Constitution is clear that states are# the ones who set the time and place## for federal elections.

But it does give# Congress the right to alter those rules.

Congress has exercised this power# sparingly during the Reconstruction## period after the Civil War.

And this# also applies to congressional elections,## not state elections, like governor# or secretary of state elections.

This ultimately, though, does not give the# president or any president unilateral power## to nationalize congressional elections.

That# power is explicitly given to Congress.

And I## would add that even those in his own party,# like Senate Majority Leader John Thune,## was asked about the president's# comments, nationalizing elections,## and he said to reporters today: "I am# not in favor of federalizing elections."

AMNA NAWAZ: I know you have# been covering this as well,## but we should point out this Trump# administration has been fighting## for almost a year now in court to obtain# private voter data from a number of states.

When you talk to election security# watchers, what do they say about that?

LIZ LANDERS: Well, the main concern that# we heard, and we heard this last week from## secretaries of state who were in Washington# all convening together talking about this,## is that there could be personally identifying# information that gets out if they're sending## some of this information to the federal# government and to the Department of Justice.

So about 20 states now have been sued by the# Department of Justice, trying to get more of## their voter roll information and some of these# details that these states say, we're trying## to safeguard this to make sure that people's# identities don't get stolen, stuff like that.

So when we're talking to these state and# local election officials, they are sort of## on the front lines of fighting against what# the administration is asking for right now,## and they say they're doing it to# protect the voters in their states.

AMNA NAWAZ: That's our White House# correspondent, Liz Landers, reporting tonight.

Liz, thank you.