Donald Trump has instructed U.S. spy agencies to hand over sensitive intelligence to a lawyer who tried to overturn the 2020 election as part of a White House investigation into that year’s race, according to a report.
Kurt Olsen, a former Trump campaign lawyer who worked on the “Stop the Steal” movement, was brought in by the administration in October 2025 to investigate long-debunked claims that Joe Biden’s election victory was the result of widespread voter fraud or other irregularities.
The election denier has been allowed access to sensitive materials as part of his probe into the 2020 election, including compartmented intelligence programs that are among the most highly classified material held by U.S. spy agencies, sources told Politico. It remains unclear whether there are any limits on the intelligence that could be shared with Olsen.
Olsen, who has no known experience working with the intelligence community, joined the Trump administration last year as a “special government employee,” a short-term role that lasts no more than 130 days in any 365-day period. Trump’s push to grant his former lawyer access to sensitive intelligence comes as Olsen’s expected time at the White House is due to end, suggesting the probe may also be nearing completion.
People close to Trump have raised concerns about allowing a known election denier access to intelligence, questioning whether Olsen is even capable of analyzing the documents appropriately.
One source close to the president told Politico that Olsen “will find some super classified report, say it’s evidence of fraud, but really it’s just completely out of context.”
There are also fears that Trump—who still falsely claims the 2020 election was “rigged”—will cite Olsen’s findings to justify attempting to control the running of the 2026 midterms. Republicans are widely expected to suffer an electoral wipeout in November, costing the GOP control of Congress.
Trump has made a number of alarming statements about the upcoming nationwide races. Earlier this month, he suggested on former Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino’s relaunched podcast that Republicans should “take over” and “nationalize” the midterms under the guise of preventing voter fraud. He has even floated the idea of canceling the elections altogether.
Another source close to the president told Politico that Trump views the 2020 election investigation as a test for Olsen and other election deniers who believe they could prove the race was “stolen” if given access to all available evidence.
“Effectively what he [Trump] said was, ‘This is your chance,’” the source said. “Now, anything that they want, they can get.”
Olsen has reportedly visited the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the CIA, and the National Security Agency headquarters multiple times since beginning his role as a special government employee. A source told Politico that the Justice Department and the FBI are also in contact with Olsen.
A CIA spokesperson confirmed the agency is cooperating with Olsen. “The President has asked Mr. Olsen to look at intelligence related to the 2020 election and the agency is ensuring that he has the access necessary to do his work,” the spokesperson said.
Olivia Coleman, a spokesperson for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, said that “every individual who is granted access to classified information goes through an extensive background investigation, including record checks and personal interviews, with a trained investigator to ensure that the individual is trustworthy and does not pose a threat to national security.”
The White House added that the president “has the authority to provide access to classified material to individuals as he deems necessary. The entire Trump Administration is working together to ensure the integrity of U.S. elections.”
Olsen previously worked with top Trump ally Kari Lake in her attempt to overturn the results of the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election. A federal judge later sanctioned Olsen for making “false, misleading, and unsupported factual assertions” about the race, which was won by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.
In October 2024, The New York Times also reported that Olsen had been in direct contact with Trump in an effort to persuade him to challenge the results of that year’s election in key battleground states.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House, CIA, DOJ, FBI, NSA, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for comment.
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