Investigation Initiated by Ex-Trump Lawyer Leads to Seizure of Ballots
Previously sealed court documents reveal that an investigation by the FBI into potential election misconduct was initiated by a referral from a former lawyer for the Trump campaign. This inquiry led to the recent confiscation of 2020 election ballots from an election center in Fulton County, Georgia.
The FBI is currently conducting a criminal investigation to determine if any alleged irregularities in the voting processes and ballot counting in Fulton County in 2020 were deliberate violations of federal criminal laws.
The lawyer who sparked the investigation, Kurt Olsen, had been tasked with investigating election issues after the 2020 election in which Donald Trump was defeated by Joe Biden.
Affidavit Sparks Controversy
The affidavit, provided by FBI Special Agent Hugh Raymond Evans, was part of a request for a federal magistrate judge to authorize a search warrant for the election center. The affidavit was unsealed by a judge after county officials filed a lawsuit against the federal government over the ballot seizure, demanding their return.
The raid and seizure of ballots have been met with criticism from Democratic lawmakers and others who argue that these actions undermine confidence in future elections and rekindle groundless claims that Trump won the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
Election Center Raided
The Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was present during the raid on the election center. Gabbard's presence during the raid has been a point of contention, with allegations that she was there at the request of Trump. It has been suggested that Gabbard was there at the "insistence" of the Attorney General.
Following the raid, two Democratic senators have asked Gabbard to arrange an intelligence community briefing for senators regarding election security concerns in anticipation of the upcoming midterm elections. This request comes amidst ongoing investigations by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which are aimed at addressing alleged evidence of election vulnerabilities and manipulation of election results.
Details of the Warrant and Investigation
The warrant authorized by the Georgia judge allowed the FBI to seize all physical ballots from the 2020 general election in Fulton County, including absentee ballots; tabulator tapes for every voting machine; and the vote rolls from the county.
Following the 2020 presidential election, there were numerous allegations of electoral misconduct relating to the voting process and ballot counting in Fulton County. Some of these allegations have been debunked, while others have been confirmed, including admissions by Fulton County itself.
The investigation is centered on various deficiencies or defects with the 2020 election and the counting of votes. The county has admitted that it does not have scanned images of all the ballots counted during the original count or the recount, and that some ballots were scanned multiple times during the recount.
Furthermore, auditors who counted votes by hand reported inconsistent vote tallies, and the county reported different vote totals on the deadline to report recount results and the following day.
Should these discrepancies be found to be the result of intentional actions, it would constitute a violation of federal law, irrespective of whether the failure to retain records or the miscalculation of votes affected the outcome of any specific election or race.
