A US intelligence team investigated Puerto Rico’s voting machines last spring, seizing equipment and data amid unproven claims of foreign interference.
WASHINGTON: A team from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) led an investigation into Puerto Rico’s voting machines last spring. The operation, which involved the FBI, seized voting machines and data copies for forensic analysis.
The probe examined unproven allegations that Venezuela had hacked the US territory’s election systems. Three sources familiar with the matter said the investigation found no clear evidence of Venezuelan interference.
ODNI confirmed the May investigation but denied a Venezuela link, stating its focus was on vulnerabilities in the island’s electronic voting systems. A spokesperson said taking machines and data was “standard practice in forensics analysis.”
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The office stated it found “extremely concerning cyber security and operational deployment practices that pose a significant risk to U.S. elections.” It cited security gaps from vulnerable cellular technology and software flaws that could allow hackers deep access.
Jorge Rivera Rueda, head of Puerto Rico’s State Elections Commission, said he could not comment on ongoing investigations. He added the commission “will fully cooperate with any investigative process conducted by the appropriate authorities.”
Sources said the operation appeared part of a Trump administration effort to pursue unproven voting fraud allegations. This preoccupation dates to former President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss.
Democratic leaders in Congress voiced alarm over the operation. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer accused the administration of violating laws and the Constitution by seeking election records.
Senator Mark Warner, top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the seizure of machines and data without evidence of foreign interference was alarming. He stated that “intelligence agencies have absolutely no lawful role in domestic election administration” without a foreign nexus.
The operation involved the FBI field office in southern Florida coordinating with a group overseen by Director Gabbard investigating election security threats. ODNI said the US Attorney in Puerto Rico and Homeland Security agents facilitated the “voluntary turnover” of hardware and software.
Gabbard’s office asserted it had the statutory authority to conduct the examination related to election security vulnerabilities. The sources, however, said the initial justification was the unproven allegation of Venezuelan involvement.
Pablo Jose Hernandez Rivera, Puerto Rico’s non-voting representative in Congress, acknowledged administrative problems in the territory’s elections. He attributed them to “incompetence and corruption, not foreign interference.”
Gabbard was not physically present during the Puerto Rico operation. Her recent appearance at an FBI raid in Fulton County, Georgia, has raised further concerns among experts about intelligence overreach into domestic matters.
