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on the Intelligence Committee for 14 years. He's been the top Democrat on intelligence for nearly a decade, and that has put him at the forefront of a lot of really intense matters of national security and international intrigue.
And that is why it is striking to see somebody like Senator Mark Warner now come out in the middle of this war and send a flag up a very different pole. This is the warning that Senator Warner has just hoisted, quote, Trump is trying to override our voting system. Quote, foreign interference is no longer the most pressing danger to our elections. It's increasingly evident that the greatest threat now comes from inside our own government.
For months, President Trump has made his intentions clear. He's called for the federal government to take over elections, impose national rules and override state authority. Now we're beginning to see how he may plan to do this. Allies of Trump's working in coordination with people close to the White House have circulated a draft executive order that would declare a national emergency based on false claims of foreign interference in the 2020 20 election. That declaration would be used to unlock sweeping presidential powers over how Americans vote. The proposal would allow the federal government to bar widely used voting methods, including mail. It would force Americans to re register to vote on short notice. It would require proof of citizenship. It would insert federal agencies into the voter verification process in novel ways. It would attempt to override the constitutional role of states in administering elections.
Senator Warner says, quote, There is no legitimate basis for such an emergency. That is not the point. The point is that the Trump administration could manufacture an impression of an emergency, creating a pretext for intervention.
Joining us now is Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Senator, I'm really pleased to have you with us tonight. Thank you very much for making the time.
Thank you, Rachel. I'm struck by, um, as I said, you sort of hoisting this warning right now in the middle of so many overlapping crises that we are having, including the multiple crises surrounding this war in Iran. What is the sense of urgency that you have about raising this alarm right now?
Well, first of all, Rachel, I wish I could rebut what you said about the cybersecurity threats, the war or the detention centers. But you are right on all of those. A year ago, people would say to me, Senator, do you think there's going to be free elections in 26 and 28. And I kind of blew it off a year later. I am terrified that this administration is going to try to create some incident that can allow federal intervention. We've seen the president already say he wants the feds to take over or Republicans to take over elections. We've heard his former secretary of national homeland ONLINE SECURITY SAY WE WANT THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO VOTE FOR THE RIGHT PEOPLE. WE HAVE SEEN THIS EXECUTIVE ORDER THAT CAME OUT THE DAY PUT OUT THIS WARNING SAYING HE WANTED ALL THE STATES TO TURN OVER THEIR VOTER FILES TO HIS D THS SECRET FORMULA THAT WOULD SCREEN WHO COULD BE AN APPROPRIATE VOTER, TOTALLY ABSURD. BUT I AM TERRIFIED BECAUSE THESE POLICIES ARE SO UNPOPULAR THAT THIS CROWD MAY TRY TO DO anything, including intervening in our election with federal forces, troops at the ballot or disinformation that could actually be catastrophic. Because if we get off the notion of a free and fair election, I don't know how we ever return to that.
One of the reasons I wanted to talk to you about this is because of your intimate knowledge about the oversight of intelligence matters, and it really does seem like there's a prospect here, particularly with what Tulsi Gabbard has been doing and the other ways they've been talking about intelligence matters in relation to the election. It does seem possible that they're going to cite some form of bogus intelligence about some sort of threat, about some sort of pretextual emergency that allows them to take over elections in some extraordinary way. If they misuse intelligence, if they make up some phony, bogus intelligence threat or misconstrue some━deliberately misconstrue some piece of intelligence to make that kind of a claim. Does the structure of oversight in the intelligence community allow for anybody who knows that it's bogus, to actually blow the whistle, to actually say, hey, we know this isn't right?
I would hope so. And I believe at the outset, Tulsi Gabbard, who has no role in domestic activities, was down in Fulton County, Georgia when they seized those ballots. Tulsi Gabbard, who was supposed to be looking at foreign interference, seized voting machines in Puerto Rico illegally, I believe. For the first time in 10 years, this administration has not acknowledged any foreign influence threat, even though they are out there. So the idea they would pick some threat real or conceived to use as an excuse, I think we have to be very conscious of. So I've been trying to meet with former military leaders, intelligence leaders, law enforcement, just to say, you know, if you see something that comes out that's a crock, speak up and rebut. And the press, frankly, needs to do it as well. This is about the heart of our democracy, whether it's going to be free and fair elections. If we don't stand up for that, and my fear is, as somebody who has been criticized by you many times for being way too bipartisan, but I've lost a lot of faith that my Republican partners in the Senate will stand up for our basic fair voting and democracy.
Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Sir, I know cable news interviews aren't your favorite thing to do in the world. And I know that I've given you, I know that I've given you my share of criticism over the years, but I always, always appreciate you being willing to be here in the way you're so candid about stuff like this. Thank you so much for being here, sir.
Thank you, Rachel. Thank you for speaking out.
All right, more news ahead here tonight.