The Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant around noon Jan. 28 at the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center in Union City, the latest development in the saga surrounding the 2020 presidential election.
In comments to the Associated Press, Fulton County External Affairs Director Jessica Corbitt said the FBI sought records tied to the 2020 election. A U.S. Magistrate Court judge from the Northern District of Georgia signed the search warrant.
Tony Thomas, public affairs specialist with the FBI’s Atlanta field office, provided an official statement.
“FBI Atlanta is executing a court-authorized law enforcement action at 5600 Campbellton Fairburn Road,” the statement says. “Our investigation into this matter is ongoing, so there are no details that we can provide at the moment.”
Fulton County opened the elections hub (EHOC) in 2023 to improve efficiency and transparency.
In December, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Fulton County for access to ballots and other election records from the 2020 presidential election. That suit was dismissed in mid-January because the DOJ had filed it in the wrong court.
The warrant authorizes the seizure of all physical ballots, tabulator tapes, ballot images, electronic data, and voter rolls.
Late-night press conference
Fulton County Chair Robb Pitts held a press conference Wednesday evening with Elections Board Chair Sherri Allen, confirming county officials did not know about the operation beforehand. Pitts said Fulton County has been a target of the Trump administration.
“For the life of me, I still cannot understand the fascination about the 2020 election, which occurred six years ago,” Pitts said. “That election is over with. That election has been reviewed. It has been audited, and in every instance, we get a clean bill of health.”
Pitts confirmed the county attorney has viewed the warrant, and it appears to be legitimate.
“Once [the election records] leave here, it’s out of our control,” Pitts said. “Now that they’re on longer here, I cannot guarantee they’re safe and secure.”
Allen, a Sandy Springs attorney who chairs the Fulton County elections board, said the county will always comply with law enforcement and the rule of law, mentioning FBI officials were still inside the South Fulton facility.
“We were already in court with regard to the materials from the 2020 elections,” Allen said. “We were surprised at this particular way this happened because we were planning to turn all of those documents over anyway.”
More than 5 years later
Trump lost the 2020 presidential election in Georgia to former President Joe Biden by 12,284 votes, according to a statewide audit. Despite three separate recounts and his 2024 reelection, Trump still claims his narrow defeat was “stolen” or “rigged.”
Many of the president’s allegations have been taken seriously; however, investigators have disproven claims of ballot harvesting, manipulated voting counts, and ineligible voters casting ballots. Georgia Republicans are split on whether to relitigate or move on.
The state’s gubernatorial election this November includes Republican officials like Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr, who both claim the 2020 election was not stolen, and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, the Trump-backed candidate leading the polls.
Trump has long insisted that the 2020 election was stolen, repeating the unproven claims earlier this month at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Even if it is assumed that Trump won the state of Georgia, he would still not have had enough Electoral College votes to win the presidency.
Elected officials react to raid
Sen. Jon Ossoff said Trump’s conspiracy theories about the 2020 election led to the Jan. 6, 2021, sacking of the U.S. Capitol.
“I suspect today’s raid is a continuation of this sore loser’s crusade, despite repeated audits and independent reviews confirming that Donald Trump was indeed defeated,” Ossoff said in a statement. “From Minnesota to Georgia, on display to the whole world is a president spiraling out of control, wielding federal law enforcement as an unaccountable instrument of personal power and revenge.”
U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock also released a statement: “The FBI should be focused on going after violent criminals, not carrying out political errands for a vengeful President. Republicans and Democrats agree: the 2020 elections were accurate and secure. End of story.”
North Fulton Republican Commissioner Bridget Throne said she was updated on the situation on the southern end of the county.
“I believe in complete transparency of our election process,” Thorne said. “If Fulton has nothing to hide, then there should be no fear of showing the election materials. I would love to finally put the 2020 election to rest.”
Democrat Dana Barrett, a Fulton County commissioner running for Secretary of State this fall, said the Jan. 28 raid is “a blatant attempt to distract from the violence that killed multiple Americans in Minnesota.”
“Sending 25 FBI agents to raid our Fulton County elections office is political theater and part of a concerted effort to take over elections in swing districts across the country,” Barrett said in a statement. “[Trump] is teeing up the MAGA-controlled state elections board to take over Fulton County elections — and he’s wasting taxpayer dollars to prop up his dangerous lies and conspiracies. Today’s actions are another disastrous step to undo the will of Georgia voters and interfere in our elections.”
Commissioner Mo Ivory, who co-hosted a Jan. 27 town hall with Barrett on the 2026 midterm, echoed similar comments. Ivory said she spoke with Superior Court Clerk Ché Alexander at the elections hub during the Jan. 28 search.
“They are actually collecting the boxes,” Ivory said. “The chain of command in Fulton County is that, once they are archived, they become the possession of the Clerk of Superior Court … She is with [the FBI] inventorying everything they’re taking.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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