A team working under Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard conducted a May investigation into Puerto Rico’s electronic voting systems, coordinating with federal law enforcement and national security officials, according to her office and sources familiar with the operation.
The effort initially sought to examine claims that Venezuela had hacked the island’s voting machines, though the probe produced no evidence of Venezuelan interference. Gabbard’s office said the investigation focused on identifying cybersecurity and operational vulnerabilities in Puerto Rico’s election infrastructure.
Investigators obtained voting machines and copies of election data for forensic analysis. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said the review uncovered “extremely concerning cyber security and operational deployment practices” that could pose risks to U.S. elections, including the use of vulnerable cellular technology and software flaws that could allow deep system access.
The FBI’s southern Florida field office worked alongside a group overseen by Gabbard that included national security officials, law enforcement agents, and government contractors. Federal prosecutors and Homeland Security investigators in Puerto Rico facilitated the voluntary transfer of voting hardware and software to ODNI for analysis.
