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The Situation Room

Intel, Election Law Experts Dismiss Gabbard's Claims; U.S.- Russia Treaty Expires; Urgent Search for Nancy Guthrie. Aired 10:30- 11a ET

Aired February 05, 2026 - 10:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:30:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, says President Trump requested she be present when the FBI searched an elections office in Georgia last week and seized voter records. President Trump says otherwise, first saying he didn't know why Gabbard was there and then saying this at the National Prayer Breakfast just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We have our Director of National and International Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard. She took a lot of heat two days ago because she went in at Pam's insistence. She went in and she looked at votes that want to be checked out from Georgia. They say, why is she doing it? Right, Pam? Why is she doing it? Because Pam wanted her to do it. And you know why? Because she's smart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: I mean, so messaging is all over the place. There was a White House official who also told CNN that the president had asked Gabbard to travel to Atlanta for the search.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Gabbard's presence at the operation has prompted intense criticism from some election officials. Several former senior intelligence officials and election law experts tell CNN that Gabbard has no legal authority over an FBI search like the one carried out last week in Fulton County, Georgia.

I want to bring in Fulton County Commissioner Mo Ivory right now. She's a lawyer and a professor at the Georgia State College -- Georgia State University College of Law. Commissioner Ivory, thanks so much for joining us. Thanks for all your important work.

Intelligence officials, as you know, and election law experts tell CNN the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, had no legal authority over an FBI search in your county. But she argues she has, quote, "broad statuary authority to analyze intelligence when it comes to elections." Why do you believe the DNI was in Fulton County, Georgia during this raid?

MO IVORY (D), COMMISSIONER, FULTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS AND ATTORNEY: You know, for intimidation. The same reason that President Trump has his hands in every single thing that there is without any sort of restrictions on parameters. They don't believe in separation of powers. They don't believe in following the law or the Constitution, as we're seeing. So, anybody can show up anywhere. Anybody can be appointed to a higher authority than they actually should have.

So, she was there to intimidate the Fulton County employees that are just coming there trying to get ready for the elections we have in 2026 and do their jobs. And it actually didn't work because I was on the inside. I saw her. Her presence really meant nothing to any of us there. We knew it was just part of the overall fear, crisis, chaos, manufactured act that the president is doing.

BROWN: Yesterday, Fulton County filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of the FBI seizure of these ballots from the 2020 election. The county is also seeking the unsealing of that affidavit used to support the FBI search. Has the federal government been in contact with you and other officials in Fulton County about what they're looking for here and why this raid even happened in the first place?

IVORY: Not at all. This has not been any sort of open conversation trying to come to any way that we could work together. This was a takeover of our elections hub. The documents were removed without us being able to get any type of inventory of them. There was no conversation. It was a very intense environment. We were told to move back. We were not allowed to videotape anything that was happening so we could ourselves know what was being exactly taken.

So, no, there's not been any reach out to us. Nobody is worried about us here in Fulton County or what we think or what we want to do to make sure that elections can go off this year in 2026 without incident. This is a takeover that's coming to a county near you. It's going to happen nationally, and we were just the first ones that it was happening to.

BROWN: What makes you think that this is just the beginning of this, quote/unquote, "takeover," as you say?

IVORY: Because President Trump has told us that it is. There's no message more clear to Americans right now than it is the federal government's intent to cause chaos and fear of this 2026 election because their power is at jeopardy.

[10:35:00]

So, all this conversation that you hear about a federal takeover of elections, this is all part of the strategy to move this across the country. I mean, you heard the president speak, and everywhere where he spoke about problem elections are in places that he lost. We know that there's no investigations into what happened in 2024, but only into the time periods where he was not in office. He's in jeopardy of losing power in 2026 in the House and the Senate, and this is their reaction to it. And it is going to happen all across our country. We are just the first.

BROWN: Are you concerned that, you know, now that these ballots from 2020 are in the FBI's possession, that that could have a chilling effect for voters there in Fulton County for the midterms? I mean, they might think, well, if I'm going to vote and the government's going to take my vote, I mean, what are they doing with that? How are they looking at it? Is it protected? What do you think?

IVORY: Yes. Well, I mean, I want to be clear with voters in Fulton County that nothing is being done with their 2020 ballots, excuse me, because that election is over. And there's nothing that can happen to make that election come back, no matter what he does with the ballots right now.

What he is going to do, and I'll make a prediction that I'm sure will come true, is in a couple of weeks from now, he'll say we saw so much fraud in those 2020 ballots. We found all kinds of things, and it's only being done to intimidate people to go vote in 2026. There's nothing on those ballots that is personally identifiable or that any Fulton County voters should worry about. They've been reviewed over and over and over, and no fraud has ever been found with those ballots.

This is fear. This is voter suppression. This is what happens when people are nervous about losing an election and they don't want what happened in 2020, which is that enough people came out and voted and said they did not want Republicans in charge of our country. And they are afraid that that is what is going to happen again. So, they are sowing the seeds of doubt, and that is what they hope will happen. I don't think that will happen.

Americans are much smarter than that, and they know that they can secure their vote, they can make a plan to vote, and they can course- correct what is happening in our country.

BLITZER: The Fulton County Commissioner, Mo Ivory, thanks so much for joining us.

IVORY: Thank you.

BLITZER: And just ahead, fears of a new nuclear arms race after a treaty between the United States and Russia expires. The two biggest nuclear superpowers now have no limits on their arsenals.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:40:00]

BROWN: Happening now, fears of a new nuclear arms race now that the last nuclear treaty between the United States and Russia has expired. President Trump does not seem concerned. He told the New York Times, if it expires, it expires. We'll do a better agreement. Secretary of State Marco Rubio repeated the president's call for a nuclear deal that includes China.

CNN Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen is in Moscow. Fred, what is the Kremlin saying?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Pamela. Well, the Russians certainly have been upgrading their nuclear arsenal over the past couple of years. And they've also been warning over the past months, really, that this treaty is about to expire and that that could have severe consequences, of course, for both countries. The U.S. and Russia, of course, have about 85 percent of the world's nuclear warheads.

Both countries, however, are saying that they want to stay in consultations and essentially continue to inform one another about things going on in the nuclear sphere. At the same time, of course, the U.S. and Russia are involved in those trilateral negotiations to try and bring an end to the war in Ukraine. Those negotiations happening today in Abu Dhabi here in the Middle East. Both sides saying or all sides saying that there was apparently some progress made in those negotiations.

In fact, the Ukrainian side, and this coming in the form of Kyrylo Budanov, who is, of course, the head of Ukraine's presidential administration, saying that the talks were totally constructive. The U.S. said saying that there still is a long way to go in those negotiations. But they also hope that substantial progress can be made in the months ahead, Pamela.

BROWN: So, I mean, I think obviously the concern is would Russia start to increase its nuclear capability now that this treaty has expired? What do you know about that?

PLEITGEN: Well, I think that's definitely a big concern and certainly for the U.S. and certainly something that the Russians have said that they are going to do. If you look, for instance, at the delivery systems that the Russians have been talking about over the past couple of years and putting into service in the past couple of years, a lot of them, of course, hypersonic weapons.

Now, some of those have already been used in a non-nuclear configuration in the war in Ukraine, for instance. If you look at the Kinzhal cruise missile, for instance, or you look at the Oreshnik missiles that the Russians have been prodding, definitely upgrading their nuclear arsenal has been one of the main focal points for the Russians. And they say that it is something, obviously, that they are doing because they fear that they are behind, for instance, in conventional arms.

So, for the Russians, nuclear arms, a big thing, upgrading those nuclear arms, a big thing as well. And clearly that has been a concern for the United States as well, Pamela.

BROWN: All right. Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much, Wolf.

[10:45:00]

BLITZER: All right. There's more to discuss on this. CNN Global Affairs Commentator Sabrina Singh is joining us here in the Situation Room. She was deputy Pentagon press secretary in the Biden administration. Thanks so much for joining us. The U.S. and Russia no longer bound by this longstanding treaty, the limits of this treaty. Should we all be concerned about a new arms race, a nuclear arms race? SABRINA SINGH, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR AND FORMER DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: I think that's what this expiration, why there's so much concern around this, of this New START treaty that expired, is that we don't want to see a nuclear arms race. But that's, of course, what this could lead to. I think there is a case to be made that this treaty was outdated and did need some updating. But I think it's also a bit interesting that the president, President Trump, did not take Vladimir Putin up on this one-year extension.

And I think, you know, this administration is rightfully thinking about this as China needs to be part of any new treaty. I think, you know, we want to avoid an arms race with China as well. But the fact that we don't have this now in place and that it has expired is certainly leading. I think there's a lot of concern, not just within the U.S., but around the world as well.

BLITZER: And there should be. This -- you know, even one nuclear bomb can cause enormous damage, as we know. A few thousand can do who knows what kind of damage.

SINGH: And it's really all about the numbers. I mean, yes, these are nuclear-capable countries that have incredible capabilities and resources. But the more you up the ante and the more you increase your stockpiles, that's really where the concern is among analysts. And I think, frankly, people that have studied this in the past. And that's why this treaty was so important in keeping those numbers down.

BLITZER: And as you pointed out in September, Vladimir Putin, he proposed that the two countries adhere to the limits of this existing treaty at least for another year. Should the United States have agreed to that offer?

SINGH: I think the president should have considered that more strongly. I saw the president's comments of, well, it expires, it expires. And, you know, that's a pretty flippant way of looking at our nuclear arsenal and Russia's nuclear arsenal. I think, you know, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that he wants China part of this, any type of agreement. That is, I think, the right approach. But at least getting that extension in place would have been also the right approach as well.

BLITZER: It certainly would have been. All right. Sabrina Singh, thank you very, very much. And coming up, the search for Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy. Now, in its fifth agonizing day, we're going to ask a former FBI official about the enormous task of finding her and how her health issues could factor into the search.

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[10:50:00]

BLITZER: Happening now, the last chance to hear from the Patriots and the Seahawks just before Super Bowl Sunday. Both teams are about to have one more round of interviews with the news media. Then it's time to lock in for the biggest sporting event of the year and a chance at NFL glory. BROWN: CNN's Andy Scholes has been in the Bay Area all week soaking in the pregame energy and the storylines that make the lead-up to the Super Bowl so fun.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, Wolf and Pam, we're coming to you live from the Media Center here in San Francisco. You have hundreds of media members really from all over the world here in this room to cover Super Bowl LX. You've got athletes, celebrities, all kinds of people coming through here for interviews all week. This is definitely one of the places to be during Super Bowl week.

Now, this game, it's really a changing of the guard you could consider here in the NFL because this is only the second time in the last 13 years that the game is not going to feature one of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. This year's quarterback matchup, of course, Drake Maye versus Sam Darnold.

And Darnold really has a story that we really haven't seen before. He was drafted third overall by the Jets back in 2018, was considered a bust. He actually came here to San Francisco to back up Brock Purdy in 2023, and he really considers that year as really helping to turn his career around. We've never really seen a quarterback go from bust to leading a team to a Super Bowl title. I've been speaking to Darnold's teammates all week, and they tell me they are just so impressed with his journey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER KUPP, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS WIDE RECEIVER: For Sam, being able to do what he did and go through the early trials that he did and be able to come back from that, it's impressive. It's really impressive. It takes a lot of mental fortitude to be able to push through those things.

AJ BARNER, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS TIGHT END: You go through ups and downs. You have successes and failures, and to know that a guy like Sam has weathered the storm and he's playing his best ball right now, I think it's encouraging as a player, a young player, to keep growing, keep learning, and the sky's the limit for any player that sticks to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: So, Drake Maye meanwhile had an incredible second season. He threw for more than 4,000 yards. He'd be the youngest quarterback to ever win the Super Bowl. Now, Maye has been with his wife Ann Michael since they were in 7th grade. They're middle school sweethearts, and Ann Michael is a master baker, and boy do the Patriots love when she brings them some goodies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL CAMPBELL, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS OFFENSIVE TACKLE: Other than Drake, I'm the taste tester. So --

SCHOLES: What's your favorite? What's the best thing she cooks? CAMPBELL: She made some cookies the other day, some sour -- or not sourdough, snickerdoodle with like cream cheese icing. They were good. She brings them to the O-Line room all the time. So, honestly, there hadn't been one thing that's been bad.

BEN BROWN, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS GUARD: Drake's brought them into the O-Line room a few times, so they don't last very long in there.

SCHOLES: What's the best thing you've had?

BROWN: I think we had some kind of -- during Christmas, it was almost like a sugar cookie, but with like peppermint bits in it, and I may have gotten that wrong, I don't know. I just saw it and I ate it, and it was delicious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Now, guys, the coolest set here in the media center belongs to our friends over at Bleacher Report. They decided to go with carnival games for all the players and people who come through here for interviews. They got the ski ball. You know, you always got to go for the hundred when you roll the ski, and I didn't get it, of course.

And then look, Wolf, Pam, I'm going to test my strength. Let's see. Let's see what I can get here. Am I going to get all the way to the top?

BROWN: Wow.

[10:55:00]

SCHOLES: Oh, set, set, eight. Oh, my goodness. Guys, 877. I mean, that's -- I beat an offensive lineman that came through here earlier, OK? So, that's not too bad.

BROWN: You must have been practicing, Andy. You've been practicing. No lie.

SCHOLES: I gave it all I got, believe me.

BLITZER: And let them know that Pamela and I would love some of those cookies, too, if they have some extra ones.

BROWN: We absolutely would.

BLITZER: All right. Andy Scholes in San Francisco, getting ready for the Super Bowl. Thank you.

BROWN: And we should also mention we have puppies coming up for the Puppy Bowl.

BLITZER: The Puppy Bowl.

BROWN: Yes, so everyone stick around for that, because it's Team Rough vs. Fluff this Sunday for Puppy Bowl 22.

BLITZER: And we're going to meet some of the most valuable puppy players. That's coming up.

BROWN: They're so cute. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Happening now, pleading for proof. Savannah Guthrie and her siblings are begging for any evidence that their mother Nancy is alive. Now, on day five of --

[11:00:00]