FBI Executes Search Warrant at Fulton County Elections Office Near Atlanta
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has executed a search warrant at the Fulton County elections office in Union City, Georgia, just south of Atlanta. According to an FBI spokesperson, agents were “executing a court-authorized law enforcement action” at the county’s main election office. However, the spokesperson declined to provide further information, citing an ongoing matter.
Background and Context
The search comes as the FBI, under the leadership of Director Kash Patel, has been pursuing the political grievances of President Donald Trump, including investigating multiple perceived adversaries of the Republican commander-in-chief. Trump has long insisted that the 2020 election was stolen, despite judges across the country and his own attorney general finding no evidence of widespread fault that tipped the contest in Democrat Joe Biden’s favor.
Georgia, one of the battleground states Trump lost in 2020, has been a central target for his complaints about the election. He memorably pleaded with the state’s then-secretary of state to “find” him enough votes to overturn the contest. Last week, Trump asserted that “people will soon be prosecuted for what they did,” although it was unclear what he was referring to.
Related Investigations and Lawsuits
In August 2023, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis obtained an indictment against Trump and 18 others, accusing them of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to illegally try to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. However, the case was dismissed in November after courts barred Willis and her office from pursuing it due to an “appearance of impropriety” stemming from a romantic relationship she had with a prosecutor she had appointed to lead the case.
The Department of Justice last month sued the clerk of the Fulton County superior and magistrate courts in federal court, seeking access to documents from the 2020 election in the county. The lawsuit claims that the department sent a letter to Che Alexander, clerk of superior and magistrate courts, but she has failed to produce the requested documents. Alexander has filed a motion to dismiss the suit.
State Election Board Involvement
A three-person conservative majority on the State Election Board has repeatedly sought to reopen a case alleging wrongdoing by Fulton County during the 2020 election. The board passed a resolution in July seeking assistance from the U.S. attorney general to access voting materials. The state board sent subpoenas to the county board for various election documents last year and again on October 6.
The Justice Department sent a letter to the county election board on October 30, citing the federal Civil Rights Act and asking for all records responsive to the October subpoena from the State Election Board. Lawyers for the county election board responded, saying that the records are held by the county court clerk and are under seal in accordance with state law, and cannot be released without a court order.
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