ATLANTA (AP) — The FBI obtained a search warrant to seize hundreds of boxes of ballots from election offices in Fulton County, Georgia, as part of a criminal investigation into possible deficiencies or defects in the vote count in the 2020 contest lost by President Donald Trump, according to an affidavit unsealed Tuesday.
The affidavit provides the first public justification for an FBI search last month that targeted a county that Trump and allies have long seen as central to their false claim that the 2020 election was stolen. The investigation, based on a referral from a Trump administration official, rests on claims that have long been made by those asserting widespread fraud in the contest, although audits and legal examinations have consistently dismissed such assertions.
The investigation began with a referral from Kurt Olsen, who served as Trump’s 2020 campaign lawyer and now oversees efforts to investigate the loss, according to the affidavit.
The search in the heavily Democratic county has raised immediate concerns among Democrats regarding whether Trump is exploiting the FBI and Justice Department for retribution, especially in light of controversial figures involved in the investigation.
The affidavit mentions that Fulton County lacks scanned images of all the ballots counted during both the original and recount processes, raising fundamental questions about the integrity of vote tabulation.
“If these deficiencies were the result of intentional action, it would be a violation of federal law,” reads the document, which outlines possible criminal implications relating to the preservation of election records. However, it also conveys uncertainty about whether these issues amount to actual criminal offenses, acknowledging prior reviews yielding no evidence of fraud or misconduct.
As part of the warrant, agents seized a range of election materials and Fulton County officials subsequently sought the return of these items, emphasizing that previous investigations found no evidence supporting claims of election fraud.
Democrat Joe Biden won Georgia by approximately 11,800 votes in an election overseen by Republican officials, further underscoring the complexity of narratives surrounding the legitimacy of the 2020 election.
Calls for transparency and accountability continue as the investigation unfolds, reflecting the deeply polarized nature of American politics surrounding election integrity.
