A federal judge found probable cause to issue a criminal search warrant for Fulton County’s 2020 election records. On January 28, the FBI executed that warrant, seizing 700 boxes of ballots, tabulator tapes, and voter rolls from the county’s Elections Hub in Union City. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was on scene.
The raid follows Fulton County’s December 9 admission before the State Election Board that 315,000 early votes were counted without required signatures on tabulator tapes. County attorney Ann Brumbaugh stated, “We do not dispute that the tapes were not signed. It was a violation of the rule.” The State Election Board voted 3-0 to refer the case to the Attorney General for potential fines exceeding $670,000.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division sued Fulton County Clerk Ché Alexander on December 11, demanding all ballots, stubs, signature envelopes, and digital files. Alexander refused, stating the records were under seal. Fulton County Judge Robert McBurney ordered compliance. The county requested delays.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the legal basis on January 29. “We presented our facts and the findings of the investigation, and the judge determined there was probable cause,” Patel said. “Then you saw the results—we went and executed the search warrant and collected the information pursuant to that search warrant to continue our investigation.”
The warrant, signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Catherine Salinas, authorized seizure of all physical ballots, tabulator tapes, ballot images, and voter rolls from the 2020 general election. Twenty-five FBI personnel arrived without advance notice. The materials are now at the FBI Central Records Complex in Virginia.
One week before the raid, President Trump addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos. “People will soon be prosecuted for what they did,” Trump said. “It’s probably breaking news, but it should be.”
The FBI quietly replaced Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown the week prior. The personnel change was not announced or explained.
Gabbard’s presence indicates the investigation may involve foreign interference—her mandate as DNI. According to the Wall Street Journal, Gabbard has spent months investigating the 2020 election, regularly briefing Trump, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and election-integrity lawyers Cleta Mitchell and Kurt Olsen. The administration stated Gabbard “has a pivotal role in election security and protecting the integrity of our elections against interference, including operations targeting voting systems, databases, and election infrastructure.”
Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts held a press conference on January 29. “We don’t know where they’re being taken. We don’t know what’s going to happen to them,” Pitts said. “So we can no longer satisfy—not only the citizens of Atlanta, but the citizens of the world—that those ballots are still secure.”
The ballots are now in federal custody. The criminal investigation is ongoing.
HCA documented the December 9 admission and its implications for the 2020 Georgia Senate races in “‘Not Many Should Become Teachers, For We Who Teach Will Be Judged With Greater Strictness’—James 3:1″ (December 27, 2025).
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