The Fbi Seizure Of Georgia 2020 Election Ballots Relies On Debunked Claims - Beritaja

An FBI worker stands wrong the Fulton County predetermination hub, adjacent Atlanta, arsenic the FBI executes a hunt warrant for 2020 predetermination materials, connected Jan. 28. Mike Stewart/AP

Mike Stewart/AP

ATLANTA — An FBI investigation of the 2020 predetermination successful Georgia's Fulton County was initiated by a lawyer moving for the Trump management who besides aided President Trump's efforts to effort to overturn that predetermination years ago, according to an affidavit unsealed Tuesday.

The affidavit, written by FBI Special Agent Hugh Raymond Evans, led to a judge signing disconnected connected a hunt warrant of Fulton County's elections hub, conscionable extracurricular Atlanta. The FBI executed that hunt warrant connected Jan. 28, seizing much than 650 boxes of ballots and different 2020 predetermination materials.

The affidavit relies connected misleading and already-disproven claims about the 2020 election. Fulton County's 2020 ballots were counted 3 abstracted times, pinch the results affirmed.

"This warrant exertion is portion of an FBI criminal investigation into whether immoderate of the improprieties were intentional acts that violated national criminal laws," the affidavit reads. "The FBI criminal investigation originated from a referral sent by Kurt Olsen, Presidentially appointed Director of Election Security and Integrity."

Olsen played an integral role successful Trump's grounded efforts to overturn his constrictive 2020 predetermination conclusion by challenging the results successful Georgia and different plaything states.

The White House did not respond to BERITAJA's questions Tuesday about Olsen's domiciled successful the administration.

The FBI investigation, according to the affidavit, is focused connected 5 "deficiencies aliases defects" pinch the predetermination and the consequent tabulation.

But those claims see allegations that person been investigated and unsubstantiated by authorities officials, including claims about missing scanned images of ballots, though authorities rule astatine the clip did not require counties to support them arsenic records.

Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia caput of authorities who resisted Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 predetermination nonaccomplishment successful the state, was captious of the probe. Raffensperger is now moving for governor.

"As Secretary of State, I've made Georgia the safest and about unafraid spot to vote," he said successful a statement. "Instead of wasting clip and taxation dollars trying to alteration the past pinch baseless and repackaged claims, let's attraction our efforts connected building a safer, much affordable early for each hardworking Georgians."

In a statement, David Becker, a erstwhile Justice Department charismatic who's now executive head of the Center for Election Information & Research, called the affidavit "much weaker than I suspected."

"After much than 5 years, dozens of tribunal cases, and complete a twelvemonth successful full power of the national government, this is each they've got?" he said. "If taken astatine its word, this full affidavit astatine about alleges quality correction aft a precocious nighttime during a world pandemic, each of which had nary effect connected the result of the race."

The affidavit besides does not mention immoderate grounds aliases suspicion of overseas predetermination interference, raising much questions about the beingness of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard astatine the tract of the raid.

In a missive to Democratic lawmakers past week, aft the search, Gabbard defended her domiciled successful investigating predetermination security. She besides confirmed that she "facilitated a little telephone telephone for the President to convey the [Atlanta-area FBI] agents personally for their work." The telephone was first reported by The New York Times. Gabbard said Trump "did not inquire immoderate questions, nor did he aliases I rumor immoderate directives."

Trump and his friends person continued to attraction connected the 2020 predetermination and falsely declare he was victorious while besides taking bonzer steps to exert national power complete early voting, including suing states to effort to get unredacted elector rolls and suggesting that Republicans "nationalize" elections.