(WASHINGTON) — As Democratic lawmakers continue to question why Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has been involved in the Justice Department’s criminal probe into the 2020 election, Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday defended Gabbard’s role, saying, “we are inseparable.”

Bondi was asked to explain the shifting and sometimes conflicting accounts given by the DOJ, President Donald Trump and Gabbard herself about who ordered her to be at the Fulton County, Georgia, Elections Hub and Operations Center on Jan. 28 when the FBI raided the office and took ballots and other documents related to the 2020 election.

On Monday, Gabbard had told Congress in a letter that President Donald Trump ordered her to be at the election office and that it was part of her job to ensure U.S. election security against foreign interference.

On Wednesday, Trump said, “I don’t know,” when asked in an NBC News interview why Gabbard was in Georgia.

However, Trump told attendees at a National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday that Gabbard went to Georgia at “Pam’s insistence,” referring to Bondi who was present at the event and added that “Pam wanted her to do it.”

On Friday, Bondi responded to questions about the inconsistent accounts, saying she and Gabbard are “inseparable.”

“We are constantly together,” she said. “We constantly talk, we collaborate as a Cabinet. We’re all extremely close [and] know…what we are doing at all times pretty much.”

Bondi declined to give details of the investigation, but contended Gabbard’s presence at the FBI raid and involvement in the probe would not hinder the investigation.

“Georgia is a very important issue to us,” she said.

“Andrew Bailey was taking the lead down there. He’s Director Patel’s Deputy Director of the FBI,” Bondi later added.

Bondi avoided answering a direct question about whether it was she, as President Trump claimed, who sent Gabbard to Georgia.

“Did you send her down?” a reporter asked.

“She was there. We’re inseparable. That’s all I’ll say,” Bondi replied.

Inseparable though they might be, Bondi was not in Georgia with Gabbard.

An ODNI official told ABC News last week that Gabbard’s presence was requested by the president “and executed under her broad statutory authority to coordinate, integrate, and analyze intelligence related to election security, including counterintelligence, foreign malign influence, and cyber security.”

Trump has repeatedly made baseless claims that there was voter fraud in the 2020 election, specifically in Georgia, that contributed to his election loss to Biden. He also has repeated claims, without evidence, that China and other foreign adversaries were involved in the alleged fraud.

Georgia officials audited and certified the results following the election, and numerous lawsuits challenging the election results in the state were rejected by the courts.

Fulton County officials say FBI agents removed 700 boxes containing ballots and other materials associated with the 2020 election after obtaining a search warrant approved by a federal magistrate judge.

Investigators are going ballot by ballot, searching for any irregularities, sources said. Fulton County officials have demanded that those materials be returned.

The investigation has set off a firestorm among Georgia election officials and some Democrats on the Hill who have questioned Gabbard’s authority and Trump’s allegations.

Democrat Sen. Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, has demanded Gabbard and the administration be more transparent.

In an interview with CNN Thursday, Warner called the shifting explanations about who directed Gabbard to be at the FBI search “almost like Nixon-esque” because “after the Watergate, people [couldn’t] get their stories straight.” 

“It begs even the original question, is why in the hell is the president of the United States aware of a search warrant being ordered in Georgia?” Warner said. “So, if he told her to be there, he knew about this beforehand, which, by the way, is exactly the kind of activities that got Richard Nixon in trouble.”

Warner raised concerns that Trump is sowing seeds to interfere in the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election. 

“Here’s a guy that was obsessed about losing in 2020, obsessed about losing in Georgia. And I, I believe they may be intending to interfere in our elections in ’26 and ’28,” he said.

“And I think we all have to step up our game, you know, take all of this, and then you add in the president saying he wants to federalize elections and have Republicans take control. This isn’t the way the system works,” Warner added.

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Mariah Carey wasn’t the only pop star to pop up at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony: Taylor Swift also appeared, in a video message.

Taylor, wearing a sweatshirt from Polo Ralph Lauren’s official Team USA collection, addressed all the athletes competing in the Games. “I just wanted to say thank you,” she said. “Getting to learn your stories and see everything that you’ve sacrificed and all your determination and hard work and passion and everything that’s gotten you to this point where you’re so excellent at something, it’s just really inspiring.”

She added, “I am very grateful for everything you’ve done to get to this point in your life and grateful that you’ve brought us all along with you on this journey so we get to watch you do this. I just hope that you a wonderful Olympic Games.”

She ended by saying, “Wishing you all the best of luck and a safe journey, and I hope this is an experience that you will cherish for the rest of your life. Bye!”

The Olympic commentators noted that Taylor had played at Milan’s San Spiro Stadium, where the opening ceremony was taking place, twice in 2024 as part of the Eras Tour. They also plugged her new video for “Opalite.”

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Myles Smith and Niall Horan have released their duet “Drive Safe,” which the two artists co-wrote. The song is about being able to manage obstacles in life with help from the people around you. “Collaborations only really matter to me when they come from something real, and working with Niall genuinely did,” Myles said.

Ahead of his national anthem performance at the Super Bowl, Charlie Puth has released another song from his upcoming album, Whatever’s Clever! “Cry” features saxophone playing by Kenny G. Charlie says, “‘Cry’ is about allowing yourself to feel things fully … a reminder that expressing emotion is not weakness — it’s human, and sometimes it’s exactly what helps you grow.”

ZAYN has dropped “Die For Me,” the first single from his upcoming solo album, KONNAKOL. The song comes with an official video, which features ZAYN singing about being betrayed while braving lightning strikes, wind, rain and fire.

Tired of hearing EJAE sing “Golden”? She’s got a fresh track for you. The lead voice of HUNTR/X has dropped a mid-tempo song about heartbreak called “Time After Time.” She says the song’s melody was “stuck in my head for years, just like the person I wrote it about.”

Joji, who scored a hit in 2022 with “Glimpse of Us,” is back with his third album, Piss In the Wind, and a new single, “Hotel California.” He’ll also drop the video for one of the songs on the album, “Last of a Dying Breed,” on Monday.

Charlieonnafriday, who had a hit in 2023 with “Enough,” returns with a new song called “Never Do,” which samples T-Pain‘s 2005 classic “I’m Sprung.” “‘Never Do’ is about being really into someone and how that kind of feeling starts to change your life, your habits, and the way you act,” he says.

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You can check out newcomer Carter Faith‘s cover of Addison Rae‘s “Fame Is a Gun” now. 

The new album from 49 Winchester, Change of Plans, is set to arrive May 15, featuring “Pardon Me,” which is out now. 

“Get to Drinkin’,” the new track from newcomer Zach John King, is out now, ahead of his high-profile 2026 dates with Morgan Wallen, Luke Bryan, Riley Green and others. 

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Police have found a body they believe may be Lil Jon‘s son, Nathan “DJ Young Slade” Smith.

The Milton Police Department said in a statement Friday that the body was found Friday morning by divers with the Cherokee County Fire Department in a pond near Smith’s home in Milton, Georgia.

Authorities said Smith was last seen Tuesday around 6 a.m. ET after leaving his house on foot without a phone. They said at the time he “may be disoriented and in need of assistance.”

Officials are awaiting confirmation from the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office. The case remains an open and active investigation, and additional information will be released only after the cause and manner of death are determined and all leads have been reviewed, they said in the statement.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the Smith family during this difficult time,” the Police Department said in the statement. “The department respectfully asks the community and members of the media to honor the family’s request for privacy as they grieve and navigate this tragedy.”

Lil Jon also released a statement expressing heartbreak over the loss of his son.

“I’m extremely heartbroken for the tragic loss of our son, Nathan Smith,” he wrote. “His mother [Nicole Smith] and I are devastated.”

“Nathan was the kindest human being you would ever meet. He was immensely caring, thoughtful, polite, passionate, and warmhearted – he loved his family and the friends in his life to the fullest,” Jon continued, noting he was “a music producer, an artist and engineer, and graduate of NYU.” 

“We loved Nathan with all of our hearts and are incredibly proud of him,” he added. “He was loved and appreciated, and in our last times together we’re comforted in knowing that we expressed that very sentiment to him.”

Jon also thanked those who prayed and assisted in the search, including law enforcement and emergency personnel. 

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Ella Mai has released her new album, Do You Still Love Me? Executive produced by Mustard, the project features 14 tracks, including previously released singles “100,” “Little Things” and “Tell Her.” Do You Still Love Me? is on streaming platforms. Fans can also purchase physical CD and vinyl editions on Ella Mai’s official webstore.

RZA reunites with Juice Crew on Bobby Digital Presents: The Juice Crew. He curated and produced the album, which “re-imagines the Juice Crew sound through RZA’s cinematic lens, blending his signature production with the crew’s storytelling mastery,” according to a press release. It’s now available on DSPs.

LeCrae is out with Reconstruction: Second Story, an album that is “deeply personal” to him. “It reflects the last five years of inner-work wrestling, and rebuilding my faith on a strong foundation,” he wrote of the album on Instagram. “I’ve always tried to be honest about the journey, not because I have it all figured out, but because I know many of us are walking similar roads.”

Other releases:

Hunxcho, Not One of Them

Mozzy, EST GEE, “Wouldn’t Hold You Up“

K Camp ft. Jacquees, “Come Back Home“

Fredo Bang, “Baby Please“

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