Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) abruptly distanced himself from his earlier praise of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard when pressed by CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins about her new role overseeing election security.
During an interview, Collins highlighted that Gabbard has been assigned by the administration to supervise election security efforts, an unusual responsibility for her position. According to Mediaite, the development follows an FBI raid on an election hub in Fulton County, Georgia, where federal agents seized records amid ongoing scrutiny of election procedures.
Officials have stressed that Gabbard is not connected to the Georgia investigation, yet critics on the left are already alleging that President Donald Trump is maneuvering to shape the outcome of the upcoming midterm elections. He recently suggested in an interview with former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino that certain elections might need to be nationalized to prevent what he described as systemic corruption, a proposal that alarms Democrats but resonates with many conservatives who distrust local election bureaucracies.
Collins reminded Sanders that Gabbard is someone that youve called before a courageous leader, a great friend. I dont know if you would describe her that way, noting that her election-security assignment is far from routine for a DNI. Sanders quickly retreated from his past praise, responding, That was way back when, that was a few years ago, signaling a sharp break from a onetime ally who has since rejected the Democratic establishment.
Once closely aligned on foreign policy and civil liberties, Gabbard and Sanders have taken starkly different paths since she left the Democratic Party in 2022 and later joined President Trumps team. Sanders now portrays her as a political instrument of the White House, telling Collins that Gabbard is being used by the president to create a political situation where he wont lose in one way or another in the midterms.
Sanders escalated his rhetoric with a sweeping attack on the administrations law-and-order posture, declaring, Im sorry, I think they understand that more and more Americans, not just progressives, not just moderates, there are conservatives who say, hey, we dont want to see masked troops, federal agents, in Minneapolis breaking down doors and shooting people. This is not what America is about. And Trump is on the defensive. I think the polling is pretty clear. His numbers are going down. Everything being equal. I think the Democrats are going to regain control over the House, maybe the Senate. And what he is now figuring out is how can he create a political situation where he wont lose in one way or another. And I think that is scary stuff and weve got to fight it every step of the way.
His remarks reflect a broader Democratic strategy of preemptively casting doubt on Republican-led election integrity efforts, even as many conservatives argue that federal oversight and tougher enforcement are necessary to restore public confidence after 2020. With Gabbard now serving in a senior intelligence role and aligned with President Trump, the clash underscores a deeper realignment in American politics, where former Democratic figures who challenge progressive orthodoxy are swiftly recast as threats rather than courageous partners.
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