Trump directs FBI to seize 700 boxes of 2020 ballots from Fulton County despite multiple audits confirming accuracy

Trump directed FBI Special Agent Hugh Raymond Evans to execute a search warrant on Jan. 28, 2026, seizing over 650 boxes of ballots and election records from the Fulton County Elections Hub. Trump called DNI Tulsi Gabbard during the raid and told reporters it would prove the 2020 election was stolen.

Evans drafted the warrant affidavit in just 23 days — opening the probe on Jan. 6, 2026 and serving the warrant on Jan. 28. Fulton County argued Evans' affidavit 'misstated and omitted key facts' and drew its probable cause claims from debunked voter fraud claims pushed by election deniers, some of whom now work in the Trump administration.

Georgia validated the 2020 results through three counts: initial machine tabulation, a risk-limiting audit hand-counting all 5 million ballots, and a machine recount. All three confirmed Biden won. The risk-limiting audit found 381,179 votes for Biden and 137,620 for Trump in Fulton County.

Fulton County Superior Court Clerk Ché Alexander testified that the FBI refused her request to help make an inventory of the election records seized during the raid, leaving the county unable to verify what was removed.

Fulton County filed a Rule 41(g) motion on Feb. 4, 2026 seeking return of the seized materials. On May 6, U.S. District Judge Jean-Paul Boulee denied the motion — but called parts of the government's case 'misleading' and 'troubling,' and noted the alleged discrepancies 'occur in virtually every election.'

The FBI transported the seized materials to its Records Complex in Virginia, roughly 600 miles from Atlanta, after a separate court order authorized the DOJ to make copies.

Chairman Robb Pitts said Trump told him he's 'concerned' about 15 other states, suggesting the Fulton County seizure is a template for federal raids on other election offices.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger certified the 2020 results after all three counts. Trump famously asked Raffensperger to 'find 11,780 votes' in a January 2021 phone call.

Under Georgia law, counties must retain election records for 24 months after certification. The DOJ argues the 2020 ballots are relevant to an ongoing federal investigation into alleged violations of laws governing election-record retention and vote tabulation.