 | It has been suggested that this article bemerged into2020 United States presidential election in Georgia. (Discuss) Proposed since January 2026. |
On January 28, 2026, theFederal Bureau of Investigation conducted a raid at theFulton County, Georgia election office inUnion 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 the2020 United States presidential election.[1]Tulsi Gabbard, theDirector 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.[2][3]
PresidentDonald Trump has repeatedfalse claims that the2020 presidential election was rigged against him.[4] Trump facedprosecution alongside 18 other individuals in Fulton County over hisattempts to overturn the 2020 election, and he was also brought up on charges in afederal case for election obstruction, before he wasreelected in 2024. The raid was criticized by GeorgiaDemocrats, with State RepresentativeSaira Draper referring to it as an "attack on our democracy", and U.S. SenatorJon Ossoff calling it a "sore loser's crusade".[5]
Fulton County was one of the main points of contention in Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election on the false premise ofelection fraud, and is where Trump facedprosecution in these efforts over hisTrump fake electors plot before the case was dropped after the dismissal of the prosecutorFani Willis in 2025.[6] 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.[7] Trump was also recorded in a conversation with then-Republican Secretary of StateBrad 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.[8]
Speaking at theWorld 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.[9]
The Department of Justice (DOJ) had sued Fulton County officials in December 2025, seeking materials relating to the 2020 election. In the lawsuit, theDOJ 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.[10]
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.[11]
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;[12][13] the lawsuit was filed on February 4.[14]
On February 7,Northern Georgia U.S. District Court judgeJ. 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 thefederal magistrate judge to approve the seizure of the ballots.[15][16]
Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, is scheduled to appear and offer public testimony about the raid at theSenate Intelligence Committee on March 18, 2026. SenatorMark 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".[17][18]
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