Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, is raising concerns about what he claims could be an effort by President Donald Trump and his allies to influence the 2026 midterm elections.
Speaking with reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday, Warner suggested that Trump’s recent comments about Republicans needing to “take over” elections from the states could signal broader plans to challenge state-run election systems.
“It appears there may be a coordinated effort to try to interfere in the ‘26 midterms,” Warner said. He added that he is concerned, “They may even start to interfere in the primaries.”
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Trump and many Republicans have argued for years that election administration should be strengthened through tighter oversight and more uniform standards, particularly after disputes over voting procedures in 2020. Democrats, however, have increasingly framed these efforts as threats to democracy.
Warner Criticizes Tulsi Gabbard’s Role in Georgia Investigation
Warner also expressed anger over Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s reported involvement in a federal raid in Fulton County, Georgia, where officials seized ballots and voter information as part of an investigation.
While details surrounding the raid remain unclear, Warner compared the situation to Watergate-era abuses of power — an analogy Democrats have frequently used in recent years when criticizing Trump.
In a clip posted to social media, Warner said:
“The Nixon era is back. What do I mean? Richard Nixon is most infamously known for Watergate, where he intervened in a domestic political effort under the guise of the Watergate break-in. He knew what was going on before the fact. Well, it appears the same is true.”
Trump is reviving Nixon-style scandals… and I’m worried our elections are at risk of interference because of it. pic.twitter.com/BLsnYe1FqF
Warner claimed testimony suggested Gabbard traveled to Atlanta because Trump personally asked her to.
“It appears the same is true. We got testimony yesterday that Tulsi Gabbard was down in Atlanta for that crazy raid on the voting machines because Trump asked her to go.”
Warner then questioned how Trump would have known about the investigation ahead of time:
“Well, how the hell did Trump know there was about to be a warrant issued in a lame criminal investigation before the act took place? How did he let Gabbard know to go there?”
He also criticized reports that Trump spoke directly with FBI agents involved in the case:
“This is not how American justice should work. When, when, when will any of my Republican colleagues find a spine?”
Democrats Claim Raid May Have Been Improper
In another clip posted Wednesday, Warner suggested the FBI raid itself may have been unlawful, pointing to leadership changes under FBI Director Kash Patel.
“We have seen Kash Patel basically decimate the leadership of the FBI to the point that that raid… the FBI agent in charge of that office got fired because I don’t believe he felt this was legal.”
Warner also argued that Gabbard, as DNI, should not have been involved in what he called a “domestic criminal investigation.”
“The director of national intelligence, who showed up at that domestic criminal investigation where she had no right to be there…”
He continued by questioning whether anyone in the administration attempted to stop Trump from contacting agents directly:
“I know Trump doesn’t know the law, but wasn’t there anybody in the White House Counsel that said, ‘Mr. President, you shouldn’t be talking to FBI agents…’”
Warner concluded with a sharp personal attack on Gabbard:
“This is a guy that’s being enhanced by a rogue DNI who’s way over her skis in terms of knowledge or competency.”
How far is this administration willing to go to attack our free, fair, and settled elections? pic.twitter.com/LECRngoven
Warner’s comments come as Democrats increasingly warn of authoritarianism and election manipulation, themes expected to dominate campaign messaging heading into 2026.
Republicans, meanwhile, have argued that ensuring election integrity — including investigating irregularities and enforcing stricter standards — is a legitimate government responsibility, not “interference.”
On Friday, new reports indicated Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is set to officially launch his Senate campaign to unseat Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) in 2024.
According to Newsweek, Gallego is preparing to release a video announcing his campaign. The video was shot in the congressman’s home district and will be released in English and Spanish on Monday.
Gallego, the chair of BOLD PAC, the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, plans to make the announcement via a video in English and Spanish that was shot in his home district, which includes parts of Phoenix, according to three sources briefed by the campaign.
The progressive lawmaker and outspoken critic of Sinema has hinted at launching the Senate bid for some time. According to Fox News, Gallego told reporters last month that he was being encouraged by “some senators” to announce his Senate campaign.
“There have been some senators that have encouraged me to run,” Gallego said. “There are some senators, some of Sen. Sinema’s colleagues, that are encouraging me to run.”
Gallego did not identify which of Sinema’s colleagues are telling him to run, but predicted they would “absolutely” support him in a Senate race next year.
Last year, Sinema stunned everyone when she announced her detraction from the Democrat Party and switched to Independent. (RELATED:Kyrsten Sinema Leaves Democratic Party)
“Americans are told that we have only two choices – Democrat or Republican – and that we must subscribe wholesale to policy views the parties hold, views that have been pulled further and further toward the extremes,” Sinema wrote in the op-ed announcing her decision.
“Most Arizonans believe this is a false choice, and when I ran for the U.S. House and the Senate, I promised Arizonans something different,” she continued. “I pledged to be independent and work with anyone to achieve lasting results. I committed I would not demonize people I disagreed with, engage in name-calling, or get distracted by political
Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
On Wednesday, Republicans elected a fresh slate of leaders ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) took home the Senate GOP conference chair position, defeating Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) for the coveted spot.
Cotton defeated the Iowa Republican in what was the only contested race for a GOP leadership position that was not to become the new leader of the conference.
He will replace John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who will take over as No. 2 leader in the conference as whip after Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) was term-limited.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) won an uncontested race to become the No. 4 Senate Republican, keeping her hold on a post in GOP leadership.
Capito served the previous two years as the No. 5 Senate Republican and was vice chairwoman of the Senate GOP Policy Committee. She will now be chairwoman of the committee.
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) formally joined the Senate Republican leadership team on Wednesday, having won an uncontested bid to become the vice chairman of the Senate GOP Policy Committee.
Lankford ran unchallenged for the position and will replace Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who moved up to become chairwoman of the committee.
As vice chair, Lankford is chiefly tasked with keeping the minutes at the weekly Tuesday policy luncheon.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) will take over as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and helm the campaign efforts for the 2026 cycle.
Scott won the chairmanship on Wednesday and ran uncontested for the post. He replaces Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who steered the party to a potential 53-seat majority and four flipped seats during the 2024 cycle.
“I am honored and humbled by the confidence placed in me to protect and grow our Republican majority,” Scott said. “With President Trump in the White House and Republican leadership in Congress, help is on the way for the American people. Donald J. Trump proved that when we fight everywhere with the TRUTH, we win. That is why we must secure a Republican Senate for all four years of the Trump administration, and that work starts today!”
President Donald J. Trump visits the El Arepazo Doral restaurant, Monday, March 9, 2026, in Miami, Florida. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)
A Senate candidate nicknamed “Decoy Dan” is under investigation by Alaska election officials amid allegations that he entered the race to confuse voters and siphon support from Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, a key ally of President Donald Trump.
Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom announced Monday that the state has opened a formal investigation into Daniel James Sullivan Jr., a Petersburg resident who recently launched a campaign for the U.S. Senate while sharing the same first and last name as the incumbent senator.
The probe will determine whether Sullivan’s candidacy was filed in “good faith” or whether it was part of a deliberate effort to mislead voters ahead of Alaska’s Aug. 18 primary election.
“The Division of Elections has a fundamental obligation to protect the integrity of Alaska’s elections and ensure voters are not deceived about the identity of the candidates on their ballot,” Dahlstrom said in a statement announcing the investigation.
Update: Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom said Monday evening that the state is opening an investigation into the candidacy of Dan J. Sullivan from Petersburg, who's running against incumbent U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan. https://t.co/K5AmAeNfvd
In a letter sent to Sullivan, Dahlstrom said state officials are examining what she described as “credible allegations” that the candidate entered the race to exploit voter confusion by sharing both the name and party affiliation of the sitting senator.
“There are credible allegations that you declared your candidacy in coordination with another candidate and campaign out of intention to confuse and manipulate voters by capitalizing on the fact that you share a first and last name with the incumbent senator and have selected the same political party affiliation,” Dahlstrom wrote.
The controversy erupted after Daniel J. Sullivan switched his candidate filing to Republican shortly before entering the race, placing him on the ballot alongside Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, the Republican incumbent seeking a third term in the Senate. Critics say the move intensified concerns that voters could mistakenly support the wrong candidate.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee has also weighed in, urging Alaska election officials to reject the candidacy. In a letter to state election authorities, NRSC General Counsel Blake Murphy argued that the filing appears designed to “confuse voters and undermine confidence” in the election process.
Sen. Sullivan’s campaign has accused Democrats of orchestrating the effort to benefit former Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola, who is mounting a high-profile challenge in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races. Republicans currently hold a narrow Senate majority, making the Alaska contest a key battleground in the fight for control of the chamber.
“Everybody in Alaska knows I’m Dan Sullivan-R,” the senator said last week. “He’s purposely trying to trick my constituents.”
Peltola’s campaign has flatly denied any involvement.
“Our campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign,” spokesman Harry Child told The Associated Press.
The Alaska Democratic Party has likewise denied any connection to the candidate.
For his part, Daniel J. Sullivan insists his campaign is legitimate and rejects claims that he is serving as a political decoy.
“I have every right to run for whatever office I’m qualified for, and I’m qualified for this office,” Sullivan told the AP. “I think I’m doing what most Americans would think would be a patriotic thing to do when you’re unsatisfied with the status quo.”
The challenger, a retired teacher and former U.S. Forest Service employee, said he has had “zero, none, zilch” contact with Peltola’s campaign or Democratic operatives and maintains that running for office was entirely his own decision.
The unusual dispute has drawn national attention because of the stakes involved. Sen. Sullivan, who has represented Alaska in the Senate since 2015, has been endorsed by President Donald Trump and is viewed as a crucial Republican incumbent in the battle for Senate control. Trump previously praised Sullivan for supporting his agenda and backed his reelection efforts.
Under Alaska’s election system, all candidates appear on the same primary ballot regardless of party, with the top four finishers advancing to the general election. While candidates will be identified by their middle initials on the ballot, Republicans argue that the presence of two Republican candidates named Dan Sullivan could still create significant voter confusion.
State officials have not yet announced whether Daniel J. Sullivan will ultimately be allowed to remain on the ballot. The investigation remains ongoing.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is looking for support anywhere he can get it.
Adams said he would “welcome support from every American” in response to a question from the Washington Examiner about whether he would accept former President Donald Trump’s favor.
Trump recently said he had predicted Adams would be “indicted within a year” as the mayor called for federal government funds to deal with the city’s migrant crisis.
“Listen, I welcome support from every American,” Adams said Tuesday at a press conference. “No matter where they are and who they are, I welcome support from every American. Those who know me and know how I am, and those who are just reading up on this. So every American in this great country, I welcome support from.”
Trump’s comments last week suggested that he sympathized with the mayor.
“I watched about a year ago when he talked about how the illegal migrants are hurting our city, and the federal government should pay us, and we shouldn’t have to take them,” the former president said. “And I said, ‘You know what? He’ll be indicted within a year,’ and I was exactly right.”
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An Adams spokesman believes press coverage of Adams’s remarks has been misguided.
“This is a distortion of what the mayor said today,” Fabien Levy, Adams’s deputy mayor for communications, said in a social media post. “He never said he was looking for Trump’s support. Mayor Adams has said multiple times that he supports Kamala Harris for president. In fact, the mayor traveled to Chicago to support her historic nomination in August.”
Adams was recently indicted on five corruption charges, including bribery and wire fraud, for his actions allegedly soliciting benefits from foreign nationals, namely Turkish government officials, in exchange for favors.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams could be facing a bevy of new charges after being indicted last week in a federal corruption case. On Wednesday, prosecutors said that further counts are “quite likely” and that more defendants may be implicated.
Tech entrepreneur and former Republican presidential challenger Vivek Ramaswamy called former President Donald Trump “the George Washington of our moment” and labeled the 2024 election a “1776 moment” in history
Ramaswamy, who made an unexpected appearance at the Tuesday rally in Wisconsin, urged Trump supporters to view the former president as a modern-day Founding Father.
“Dig deep and ask yourself why it is that our founding fathers made the sacrifices they did 250 years ago,” he told the crowd.
He continued: “Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. We don’t often ask what became of them. I’m going to tell you what happened to them. Twelve of them had their homes ransacked by the British and burned down to the ground. Five of them were captured by the British and tortured until their deaths. Nine of them died in the Revolutionary War. Three more of them had their own kids die in the Revolutionary War. Many of them died bankrupt because they had their own private property seized before their deaths.
Ramaswamy concluded: “They made those sacrifices in 1776, and I believe today it’s a 1776 moment in 2024, and Donald Trump is the George Washington of our moment. That is what I believe.”
In the rest of his speech the Republican predicted a shake-up in the Democratic lineup: “I’m not going to sit here railing against Joe Biden because chances are, let’s be honest, he might not be the nominee that we’re running against.”
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s legal team is adding to his laundry list of legal troubles.
The former Trump attorney’s previous legal team is suing the Republican for failing to pay legal fees amounting to $1.36 million they charged while representing him in numerous controversies.
And now his old counsel is turning against him, accusing him of not paying up all the money he owes them for representing him throughout these his legal battles. Giuliani has already paid the firm — which he employed on a retainer agreement that it alleges he broke — $214,000, with his last payment made on Sept. 14 in the amount of $10,000, according to the filing. In total, the firm has charged him $1.57 million from 2019 to 2023.
“I can’t express how personally hurt I am by what Bob Costello has done,” Giuliani told POLITICO in a statement. “It’s a real shame when lawyers do things like this, and all I will say is that their bill is way in excess to anything approaching legitimate fees.”
Giuliani is staring down the barrel at a host of legal issues stemming from the 2020 presidential election. Last month Giuliani surrendered to Fulton County jail over charges that he helped conspire with Trump to overthrow the election by lying to state legislators and spreading election fraud misinformation. A week later, a federal judge ruled that he was liable for defaming two Georgia election workers.
A Florida freshman representative is taking drastic measures since the release of the Durham report.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fl.) has filed a motion to have Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) expelled from Congress.
“He used his position on House Intelligence to push a lie that cost American taxpayers millions of dollars and abused the trust placed in him as Chairman,” Luna said in a statement Wednesday. “The Durham Report makes clear that the Russian Collusion was a lie from day one and Schiff knowingly used his position in an attempt to divide our country.”
Schiff, who was the top lawmaker on the House Intelligence Committee when Democrats the House majority, has repeatedly claimed that Trump and his campaign colluded with the Russian government to influence the 2016 election.
While the Durham report did not recommend any new charges it did offer a blistering review of how the FBI launched and carried out the investigation. It caps a four-year investigation by Durham.
“I’m convinced when this dark chapter of our history is written, it will reflect that those Republican members who lacked the courage to stand up to the most unethical president in U.S. history, Donald Trump, consoled themselves by attacking those who did,” Schiff said in an interview with MSNBC on Wednesday.
The California Democrat also knocked the conclusions of the Durham report, fighting back against the idea that it proved that his claims of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia were a lie.
“Durham spends four years trying to prove this deep state conspiracy theory that Trump kept telling his base was going to be proven,” Schiff said. “The whole thing, of course, was a big bust.”
BREAKING NEWS:
A MAGA Republican Member of Congress just filed a motion to expel me from the U.S. House of Representatives.
I stood up to Donald Trump and held extreme MAGA forces accountable. Now they want payback.
They’ll go after anyone who defends the rule of law.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has reportedly had discussions about resigning from his role in the Pentagon to run for political office next year.
If Hegseth were to follow through with a political campaign, it would amount to a major leadership shake-up at the department that oversees the American military and millions of federal employees. The Defense Department bars civilian employees from running for political office, meaning Hegseth would have to resign to do so.
By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America – Pete Hegseth, CC BY-SA 2.0
In a statement, Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, said, “Hegseth’s focus remains solely on serving under President Trump.”
One of the people said their discussion with Hegseth happened within the past three weeks and that it was serious, not simply spitballing ideas. The other person, who also characterized it as serious, wouldn’t say when they had spoken — except that it was since Hegseth became defense secretary in January. The two sources, along with others in this article, were granted anonymity to speak candidly.
The discussions centered on what it would take to run. One person said they discussed the eligibility requirements to run for governor of Tennessee and Hegseth’s chances of winning. The other person said they talked with Hegseth about the realities of a campaign.
The sources said Hegseth has mentioned a 2026 gubernatorial run in his home state of Tennessee, where Governor Bill Lee is term-limited.
David B. Gleason from Chicago, IL, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
However, officials close to Hegseth have strongly refuted the rumors that the Pentagon chief is planning an early exit.
Parnell said in the statement: “Fake news NBC is so desperate for attention, they are shopping around a made up story… again. Only two options exist: either the ‘sources’ are imaginary or these reporters are getting punked. Secretary Hegseth’s focus remains solely on serving under President Trump and advancing the America First mission at the Department of Defense.”
Others in Hegseth’s orbit said he doesn’t plan to launch a campaign. A person who spoke with the secretary last week asked him about speculation that he was looking for an off-ramp from being defense secretary, such as running for political office in Tennessee. This person said Hegseth was “very, very clear” that he wasn’t going to run and denied even considering it. The idea, this person said, is “totally off the table.”
NBC News reported that a longtime Trump adviser familiar with political discussions around Hegseth said he won’t run for office in Tennessee.
Hegseth, a former Army National Guard officer and Fox News host, has campaigned for political office before. He ran for the U.S. Senate in his home state, Minnesota, in 2012 and withdrew after he failed to win the GOP nomination.
Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
An appeals court in New York appears set to issue a favorable ruling for former President Donald Trump after the state’s Attorney General’s Office controversially applied an anti-fraud law to his real estate practices. The case resulted in a hefty $454 million fine, which now faces potential reduction or reversal.
During Thursday’s hearing, justices from the New York Supreme Court expressed concern about the judgment, with one justice labeling the fine “troubling.”
A panel of New York appeals court judges appeared skeptical about the gargantuan $454 million civil fraud judgment Donald Trump was dealt after he was found liable for business fraud — with one jurist calling it “troubling.”
The former president is attempting to reverse or reduce the judgment of $354 million — plus an additional $100 million in interest — after a judge sided with New York Attorney General Letitia James, who argued in a lawsuit that Trump inflated his net worth by billions to get better loan and insurance terms.
Trump’s lawyers, who have called Judge Arthur Engoron’s February ruling “draconian, unlawful, and unconstitutional,” appeared before a five-judge panel of a Manhattan appeals court Thursday to plead their case.
Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr
Judge Peter Moulton questioned whether James’ lawsuit turned into “something it was not meant to do.”
In a post-verdict interview, Attorney General Letitia James stated that if Trump cannot pay the judgment, her office would pursue asset seizure, including Trump’s iconic properties like the 40 Wall Street skyscraper. “We will seek judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets,” she told ABC News.
Fox News Legal Analyst Johnathan Turley criticized the ruling, calling it “astronomical” and accusing James of engaging in “mob justice” by threatening Trump’s assets.
James filed a civil fraud lawsuit against the former president and his three adult children in September 2022, on the heels of a years-long civil investigation into the Trump family’s real estate business, the Trump Organization.
The investigation centered on whether the former president’s company misled investors and tax authorities by inflating property values to get investments and subsequently deflating them to get tax and loan benefits.
