FBI raid of Fulton County, Georgia election office

FBI raid of Fulton County, Georgia election office

Date	January 28, 2026
Location	Fulton County, Georgia [1]
Participants	Federal Bureau of Investigation Tulsi Gabbard [2] [3] [4] [5]
Litigation	1:26-mc-00177 [6] [7]

On January 28, 2026, the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted a raid at the Fulton County, Georgia election office in Union City. The FBI had obtained a warrant from Magistrate Judge Catherine M. Salinas to seize all physical ballots, ballot images, tabulator tapes, and the voter rolls of Fulton County from the 2020 United States presidential election. ^[8] Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, joined the raid and is running her own parallel investigation, which has prompted concerns from critics who have questioned why the intelligence chief--who has no domestic law enforcement powers--would be involved. ^{[9] [10]}

President Donald Trump has repeated false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against him. ^[11] Trump faced prosecution alongside 18 other individuals in Fulton County over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, and he was also brought up on charges in a federal case for election obstruction, before he was reelected in 2024. The raid was criticized by Georgia Democrats, with State Representative Saira Draper referring to it as an "attack on our democracy", and U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff calling it a "sore loser's crusade". ^[12]

Background

Fulton County was one of the main points of contention in Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election on the false premise of election fraud, and is where Trump faced prosecution in these efforts over his Trump fake electors plot before the case was dropped after the dismissal of the prosecutor Fani Willis in 2025. ^[13] Numerous failed legal challenges by Trump and his allies were brought forward against the results of the 2020 election, prior to this lawsuit and raid. ^[14] Trump was also recorded in a conversation with then-Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, saying that he just wanted to "find the votes" needed for him to win the state of Georgia, with Raffensperger stating that the count was correct. ^[15]

Speaking at the World Economic Forum one week prior to the raid, Trump said that "people will soon be prosecuted for what they did", regarding his failure to win the 2020 election. ^[16]

Raid and lawsuit

The Department of Justice (DOJ) had sued Fulton County officials in December 2025, seeking materials relating to the 2020 election. In the lawsuit, the DOJ stated that they were seeking access to review "all used and void ballots, stubs of all ballots, signature envelopes, and corresponding envelope digital files from the 2020 General Election in Fulton County". On January 28, 2026 FBI agents were seen entering and exiting the election office in Fulton County, Georgia multiple times with some agents appearing to be loading materials on a truck. ^[17]

Aftermath

Robb Pitts, the chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, stated that the 2020 election ballots had been secure in the facility and said "I can no longer, as chair of this board, satisfy not only the citizens of Atlanta but the citizens of the world that those ballots are still secure." Pitts also said he did not know where the ballots were being taken. ^[18]

On February 2, a Fulton County board commissioner announced that the county was planning to file a lawsuit challenging the seizure of the ballots and seeking their return; ^{[19] [20]} the lawsuit was filed on February 4. ^[21]

On February 7, Northern Georgia U.S. District Court judge J. P. Boulee ordered that the docket for the lawsuit be unsealed, including both the motions filed by Fulton County and the search warrant affidavit and other documents presented to the federal magistrate judge to approve the seizure of the ballots. ^{[22] [23]}

Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, is scheduled to appear and offer public testimony about the raid at the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 18, 2026. Senator Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Intelligence committee, has raised concerns related to the fact that Gabbard facilitated a phone call between President Trump and FBI agents who were on the ground and executed the search warrant. Warner claimed there was no justification for her actions, saying "Let’s be clear: It is inappropriate for a sitting president to personally involve himself in a criminal investigation tied to an election he lost". ^{[24] [25]}

References

1. "FBI executing search order connected with 2020 election at Fulton County elections center - CBS Atlanta". CBS News . January 28, 2026.
2. Landers, Liz; Adams, Doug; Schmitz, Ali (February 3, 2026). "Gabbard says Trump asked her to be at FBI election center raid as scrutiny intensifies". PBS News .
3. Lowell, Hugo (February 3, 2026). "Tulsi Gabbard running solo 2020 election inquiry separate from FBI investigation". The Guardian .
4. Gurman, Sadie; Volz, Dustin; Dawsey, Josh (29 January 2026). "Exclusive | Spy Chief Tulsi Gabbard Is Hunting for 2020 Election Fraud". The Wall Street Journal .
5. Green, Erica L. (February 5, 2026). "White House Offers Shifting Story on Gabbard's Presence at Georgia Raid". The New York Times .
6. "Case: In the Matter of the Search of: The premises located at The Office of the Clerk of Court, 5600 Campbellton Fairburn Road, Fairburn, Georgia 30213". Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse .
7. Bower, Anna; Columbus, Eric; Edwards, Troy; Feinberg, Michael; Roberts, Molly; Wittes, Benjamin (January 30, 2026). "We Have Questions About the FBI's Fulton County Search". Lawfare (website) .
8. "FBI executes search warrant at election office in Fulton county, Georgia". The Guardian.
9. Nakashima, Ellen; Strobel, Warren P.; Brasch, Ben; Roebuck, Jeremy; Davies, Emily (30 January 2026). "Tulsi Gabbard's appearance at Fulton County FBI raid raises questions". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
10. Lowell, Hugo (3 February 2026). "Tulsi Gabbard running solo 2020 election inquiry separate from FBI investigation". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
11. Axelrod, Tal. "A timeline of Donald Trump's election denial claims, which Republican politicians increasingly embrace". ABC News. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
12. "FBI raids Fulton County elections warehouse seeking 2020 ballots". Georgia Recorder.
13. Polantz, Katelyn; Rabinowitz, Hannah; Murray, Sara (2024-12-19). "Georgia appeals court disqualifies Fulton County DA Fani Willis from prosecuting Trump". CNN. Archived from the original on December 19, 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
14. "'The last wall': How dozens of judges across the political spectrum rejected Trump's efforts to overturn the election". The Washington Post. 2020-12-12. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2026-02-09.
15. "US election: Trump tells Georgia election official to 'find' votes to overturn Biden win". www.bbc.com. 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2026-02-09.
16. "The FBI conducts a search at the Fulton County election office in Georgia". NPR.
17. "FBI raids Georgia election office in 2020 materials". www.bbc.com. 2026-01-29. Retrieved 2026-02-09.
18. "FBI searches Georgia county election hub in connection with Trump's 2020 election loss". NBC News.
19. Kottke, Joe; Shabad, Rebecca (February 2, 2026). "Fulton County, Georgia, to sue Trump administration over seizure of 2020 election records". NBC News. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
20. Harris, Christopher (February 2, 2026). "Georgia's Fulton County to file motion after FBI seizes 2020 election ballots". WUPA . Retrieved February 4, 2026.
21. Brumback, Kate; Riccardi, Nicholas (February 4, 2026). "Legal fight escalates over Georgia voting records as Trump says he wants to 'take over' elections". Associated Press. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
22. Gerstein, Josh (February 8, 2026). "Fulton County argues FBI seizure of 2020 ballots shows 'callous disregard' for constitutional rights". Politico. Axel Springer SE. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
23. Downs, Garrett (February 8, 2026). "Federal judge orders Fulton County Georgia election case documents unsealed by Tuesday". CNBC. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
24. Mangan, Dan (9 February 2026). "Tulsi Gabbard to testify at Senate Intelligence Committee amid election probe concerns". CNBC. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
25. Breuninger, Kevin (3 February 2026). "Sen. Warner calls Gabbard to testify after Georgia election office raid, Trump FBI call". CNBC. Retrieved 9 February 2026.