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Fulton County to Sue Over FBI Seizure of 2020 Ballots as Reports Detail Trump Call with Agents

County officials say agents overreached by seizing original ballots, vowing to ask a judge to order their return.

United States Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard speaks on the phone while standing at the edge of a truck loading bay after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant for the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center in relation to the 2020 election, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter, in Union City, Georgia, U.S. January 28, 2026. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage.
Georgia General Election 2020 ballots are loaded by the FBI onto trucks at the Fulton County Election HUB, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Union City, Ga., near Atlanta.
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 12: U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by Tulsi Gabbard, speaks after Gabbard is sworn in as director of national intelligence in the Oval Office at the White House on February 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. Gabbard, who will oversee the 18 intelligence agencies and serve as Trump's advisory on intelligence, was confirmed by the Senate 52-48. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center a day after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant in relation to the 2020 election in Union City, Georgia, U.S. January 29, 2026. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage

Overview

  • Fulton County plans to file in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia seeking the return and sealing of 2020 election records and a forensic accounting of what was taken.
  • The FBI removed roughly 700 boxes of ballots, ballot images, voter rolls and tabulator tapes under a warrant signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Catherine Salinas citing voter‑intimidation/interference and federal record‑retention statutes.
  • County leaders contend agents exceeded authorized scope by taking originals rather than copying records and say no chain‑of‑custody inventory was created at seizure.
  • Federal authorities have provided few details about the investigation; reporting says materials were headed to the FBI’s Records Complex in Virginia and the bureau calls it a court‑authorized action.
  • News reports say DNI Tulsi Gabbard was on site and later connected President Trump by speakerphone to agents, and Trump separately urged Republicans to “nationalize” voting and “take over” election operations in several locales.