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

Trump directed the FBI to seize 700 boxes of ballots and election records from Fulton County on Jan. 28, 2026. He called DNI Tulsi Gabbard during the raid and told reporters it would prove the 2020 election was stolen.

🍑Georgia validated the 2020 results through three counts: initial machine tabulation, risk-limiting audit (hand-counted all 5 million ballots), and machine recount. All confirmed Biden won.

FBI Director Kash Patel said a federal judge found probable cause for the search. Fulton County Chairman RPRobb Pitts stated every audit, recount, and court ruling confirmed elections were fair and accurate.

Fulton County filed a lawsuit on Feb. 4 seeking return of the seized materials under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 41(g), which allows courts to order return of unlawfully seized property.

Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. said the FBI took original ballots without providing a chain-of-custody inventory, leaving no way to verify what was removed.

The seized materials were transported to the FBI Records Complex in 🏛️Virginia, roughly 600 miles from Fulton County.

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

The 2020 🍑Georgia presidential race was counted three times. The risk-limiting audit found 381,179 votes for Biden and 137,620 votes for Trump in Fulton County.

🍑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 2020 ballots are now more than five years old, but the DOJ argues they're relevant to an ongoing federal investigation.