In January 2026, the Federal Bureau of Investigation began an investigation into the results of the 2020 United States presidential election in Georgia.

Background

Efforts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election in Georgia

Main articles: 2020 United States presidential election in Georgia and Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election
See also: Trump–Raffensperger phone call and Georgia election racketeering prosecution

Following the 2020 United States presidential election in Georgia, in which president Donald Trump was narrowly defeated by Joe Biden, Trump falsely claimed that his loss was caused by widespread voter fraud. Trump and his allies attempted to overturn the broader election, including by pressuring Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, in a phone call to "find 11,780 votes"; his call with Raffensperger served as the impetus for his indictment in Fulton County, Georgia.[1] According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, unintentional errors in the initial vote counting and recount process resulted in recorded mistakes, but did not substantially affect the results.[2]

Investigations into the 2020 election in Georgia

In August 2024, following the appointment of Janelle King to the Georgia State Election Board, the board voted to reinvestigate the vote counting process of the 2020 presidential election in Fulton County.[3] In July 2025, the board voted to request that the United States Department of Justice assist in its investigation of the election.[4] Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, requested many of the election-related documents from Fulton County sought by the board in October.[5] Fulton County officials rebuked the Department of Justice, arguing that the documents had been sealed by a court order. In December, the Department filed a civil rights complaint to seek access to the County's 2020 election records.[6] That month, the Department of Justice filed a separate lawsuit to seek sensitive information on voters; the lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge in January 2026.[7]

Prelude

According to ProPublica, the federal government began investigating the 2020 election in Georgia using research from Kevin Moncla.[8] As Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, began investigating electronic voting machines amid allegations that they could be hacked, Trump appointed her to oversee the FBI investigation in Georgia.[9] An affidavit unsealed after the raid on the election center in Fulton County revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was investigating allegations of impropriety in Fulton County's handling of ballots in the 2020 election[10] and that Kurt Olsen, a special government employee investigating the 2020 election, had initiated the investigation with a criminal referral.[11]

Raid

Main article: FBI raid of Fulton County, Georgia election office

On January 28, 2026, the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided the election center in Fulton County. The bureau acted on a search warrant, signed by magistrate judge Catherine Salinas, that requested physical ballots, tabulator tapes, ballot images, and voter rolls for the 2020 United States presidential election in Georgia.[1] The warrant cited apparent violations of federal laws against the destruction of election-related records and against the production of fraudulent voter registrations or fraudulent votes. The prosecutor listed on the warrant was Thomas Albus, the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri. The search was additionally associated with a criminal investigation.[12] According to The New York Times, federal prosecutors consulted with Ed Martin, the chair of the Weaponization Working Group who was based in Missouri.[13] The New York Times later reported that Tulsi Gabbard had appeared at the raid and called president Donald Trump to encourage the agents conducting the raid. The Times additionally reported that Trump had ordered Gabbard to go to the election center and had coordinated her response with Andrew Bailey, the co-deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.[14]

Responses

Local and statewide

Robb Pitts, the chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, told the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he was concerned the documents would not be secure in federal custody and asserted that the 2020 election was conducted properly.[1]

Local officials in Fulton County sued the federal government to seek the return of the ballots.[15] The case was assigned to J. P. Boulee. In its challenge, Fulton County argued that the seizure of the ballots was a "callous disregard" of constitutional rights.[16]

Federal

Tulsi Gabbard's appearance at the raid prompted concerns from some Democrats. Virginia senator Mark Warner, the vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, sent a letter to Gabbard criticizing her presence.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c Bluestein, Greg; Groves, Caleb; Abusaid, Shaddi (January 28, 2026). "FBI raids Fulton County election office seeking ballots from Trump's 2020 loss". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  2. ^ Niesse, Mark; Wickert, David (October 28, 2024). "Conspiracy vs. reality: 2020 election fraud claims persist, but most are debunked". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  3. ^ Niesse, Mark (August 7, 2024). "Reinvestigation of Fulton's 2020 election ordered by Georgia Election Board". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  4. ^ Niesse, Mark (July 31, 2025). "State Election Board returns to 2020 election and seeks help from Trump's DOJ". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  5. ^ Wickert, David; Groves, Caleb (October 31, 2025). "Trump's Justice Department requests Fulton County's 2020 election records". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  6. ^ Wickert, David; Groves, Caleb (December 17, 2025). "Trump Justice Department sues Fulton County to obtain 2020 ballots". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  7. ^ Groves, Caleb (January 23, 2026). "Federal judge dismisses DOJ case seeking Georgians' sensitive voter data". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  8. ^ Clark, Doug (February 9, 2026). "The Conservative Researcher Being Linked to the FBI's Seizure of Election Records in Georgia". ProPublica. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  9. ^ Barnes, Julian; Pager, Tyler; Thrush, Glenn (February 9, 2026). "Gabbard's 2020 Election Claims Put Her Back in Favor With Trump". The New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  10. ^ Groves, Caleb; Wickert, David (February 10, 2026). "Judge unseals affidavit in FBI raid on Fulton County election hub". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  11. ^ Barrett, Devlin; Corasaniti, Nick (February 10, 2026). "Georgia Ballot Inquiry Originated From Election Denier in Trump White House". The New York Times. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  12. ^ Barrett, Devlin; Fausset, Richard; Corasaniti, Nick (January 28, 2026). "Move to Seize Ballots Thrusts F.B.I. Into Trump's Election Conspiracy Claim". The New York Times. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  13. ^ a b Thrush, Glenn; Corasaniti, Nick; Barnes, Julian; Feuer, Alan; Fausset, Richard (January 30, 2026). "F.B.I. Search in Georgia Shows Trump's Willingness to Pursue 2020 Grievances". The New York Times. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  14. ^ Rashbaum, William; Barrett, Devlin; Barnes, Julian (February 2, 2026). "Trump Had Unusual Call With F.B.I. Agents After Election Center Search". The New York Times. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  15. ^ Berman, Mark; Roebuck, Jeremy (February 4, 2026). "Fulton County goes to court to demand return of ballots seized by FBI". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  16. ^ Gerstein, Josh (February 8, 2026). "Fulton County argues FBI seizure of 2020 ballots shows 'callous disregard' for constitutional rights". Politico. Retrieved February 9, 2026.