Mystery midterm meeting scares expert as Trump makes puzzling FBI hire

Donald Trump has put more pressure on voters ahead of the midterms, with a former United States Attorney highlighting a new FBI role.

The president is seemingly nervous ahead of the November elections and is doing all he can to retain the GOP's share of votes. Writing in her Substack, Joyce Vance suggested a new role of "FBI Election Executive," held by Kellie M. Hardiman, could be a sign that Trump's team will try to control as much as they can of the election.

The former US Attorney highlighted a recent email from Hardiman as a cause for concern ahead of the midterms.

The email reads, "To prepare for the 2026 US midterm elections, your election partners at the FBI, DOJ, DHS, USPIS, and the EAC would like to invite you to a call where we can discuss our preparations for the cycle, as well as updates and resources we can provide to you and your staff."

Vance wrote, "With Trump, his complaints about others are always projection: He wants to make sure he can steal the midterm elections if his party loses, and no better way to do that than to get election administration out of the hands of pesky officials who insist on doing a fair count.

"The call is being organized for February 25. No one seems to know precisely what it’s about. But Trump’s claim that majority Black/Democratic counties, like Fulton County, Georgia, aren’t fit to run elections, and they should be taken over by Republican interests, is a pretty good bet.

"The email invite is signed off on by Kellie M. Hardiman, who identifies her role as 'FBI Election Executive,' a position I have not heard of previously. As a career federal prosecutor and a U.S. Attorney for eight years during the Obama administration, and as someone whose responsibilities included election protection, I’m fairly familiar with DOJ’s internal architecture for this work.

"NBC reported that one state election official said that, 'No one has heard of this person — and we’re all wondering what an 'FBI Election Executive' is.'"

An FBI spokesperson, in a statement given to NBC, said, "The Election Executive is not a new role. There have been designated executives in previous election cycles to take point on coordinating election-related matters and speaking on behalf of the FBI.”