An FBI employee stands inside the Fulton County election hub, near Atlanta, as the FBI executes a search warrant for 2020 election materials, on Jan. 28.
Mike Stewart/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Mike Stewart/AP
ATLANTA — An FBI investigation of the 2020 election in Georgia’s Fulton County was initiated by a lawyer working for the Trump administration who also aided President Trump’s efforts to try to overturn that election years ago, according to an affidavit unsealed Tuesday.
The affidavit, written by FBI Special Agent Hugh Raymond Evans, led to a judge signing off on a search warrant of Fulton County’s elections hub, just outside Atlanta. The FBI executed that search warrant on Jan. 28, seizing more than 650 boxes of ballots and other 2020 election materials.
The affidavit relies on misleading and already-disproven claims about the 2020 election. Fulton County’s 2020 ballots were counted three separate times, with the results affirmed.
“This warrant application is part of an FBI criminal investigation into whether any of the improprieties were intentional acts that violated federal criminal laws,” the affidavit reads. “The FBI criminal investigation originated from a referral sent by Kurt Olsen, Presidentially appointed Director of Election Security and Integrity.”
Olsen played an integral role in Trump’s failed efforts to overturn his narrow 2020 election defeat by challenging the results in Georgia and other swing states.
The White House did not respond to NPR’s questions Tuesday about Olsen’s role in the administration.
The FBI investigation, according to the affidavit, is focused on five “deficiencies or defects” with the election and the subsequent tabulation.
But those claims include allegations that have been investigated and unsubstantiated by state officials, including claims about missing scanned images of ballots, though state law at the time did not require counties to maintain them as records.
Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state who resisted Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state, was critical of the probe. Raffensperger is now running for governor.
“As Secretary of State, I’ve made Georgia the safest and most secure place to vote,” he said in a statement. It is more productive to invest time and resources in shaping a better future for the hardworking people of Georgia rather than dwelling on baseless claims and attempting to alter the past. Let’s focus on creating a safer and more affordable environment for all Georgians to thrive in. David Becker, the executive director of the Center for Election Information & Research and a former Justice Department official, expressed disappointment in the lack of substantial evidence in a recent affidavit related to election security. Despite numerous court cases and years of investigation, the affidavit only points to human error during a challenging time, with no impact on the election outcome. The absence of any mention of foreign interference in the affidavit raises further doubts, especially considering the presence of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard during the investigation. Gabbard defended her involvement in election security matters and clarified her role in facilitating a phone call between President Trump and FBI agents in Atlanta. While Trump and his supporters continue to contest the results of the 2020 election, efforts to influence future elections through legal action and federal intervention persist. Let’s shift our focus towards building a better future rather than dwelling on the past.
