Fulton County officials want their 2020 election materials back, and a look at why the FBI took them in the first place. On Wednesday, the Georgia county asked a federal court.<\/b>
\nFulton County officials want their 2020 election materials back, and a look at why the FBI took them in the first place. On Wednesday, the Georgia county asked a federal court to order the return of all files confiscated by the FBI last week, a county spokesperson said, per ABC News and the AP. Agents carried off roughly 700 boxes of ballots and related election documents from a county election facility in Union City on Jan. 28 under a search warrant signed by a federal magistrate judge.<\/p>\n

The warrant stated that the materials are evidence of a crime and were allegedly used in committing that crime. Fulton County is also asking the court to unseal the affidavit that supported the warrant, but it says it can’t reveal the substance of its motion because the case remains under seal. The FBI had previously confirmed «court authorized activity» at the county’s Election Hub and Operation Center, at which DNI chief Tulsi Gabbard was present.<\/p>\n

The New York Times reports that Gabbard and some of the agents involved in the seizure spoke to President Trump via phone afterward, earning his praise and thanks. «We will fight using all resources against those who seek to take over our elections», said Robb Pitts, chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. «Our Constitution itself is at stake in this fight.» The move comes years after Trump’s allegations of widespread fraud in Georgia’s 2020 vote, which state officials audited, certified, and successfully defended in multiple court challenges.<\/p>\n