In January 2026, the FBI executed a search warrant at the Fulton County Election Hub, seizing nearly 700 boxes of 2020 election records. Fulton County officials and independent election experts continue to argue the raid was an unconstitutional seizure. They base this on an unsealed affidavit revealing the warrant relied heavily on information from former Trump campaign attorney Kurt Olsen, rather than new concrete evidence. Local officials have also heavily criticized the FBI protocols, testifying that agents refused to conduct a localized inventory upon seizure, which they argue compromises the chain of custody.
The legal fight remains highly active across multiple fronts. In federal court, Fulton County is demanding the return of the original ballots. U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee ordered mediation and suggested the DOJ copy the records and return the originals. The Justice Department refused this proposal, arguing that returning the documents or forcing FBI agents to testify would provide a roadmap to improperly disrupt an active federal probe into how the county retained and tabulated ballots.
Concurrently, the NAACP filed a parallel civil suit to restrict the DOJ from using the seized personal voter data outside the criminal investigation, warning of potential voter intimidation. The DOJ has officially moved to dismiss this motion, countering in court that the NAACP claims are purely speculative.
Tulsi Gabbard’s Role
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was present during the January raid. During her March Congressional testimony, she stated she attended at President Trump’s request to observe the FBI action, though the President later claimed she attended at the insistence of Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Gabbard is currently facing intense political pressure within the Trump Administration. Reports indicate she has been urged to resign before the 2026 midterms following her recent Congressional testimony regarding intelligence assessments on Iran. Despite this pressure, she remains active in her DNI role. She recently announced a massive cybersecurity modernization effort for the Intelligence Community and released declassified documents claiming the 2019 Trump impeachment was manufactured by intelligence officials.
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