Fulton County asks judge to return 2020 election records seized by FBI

1 hour ago 3

Fulton County officials moved Wednesday to regain power of thousands of 2020 predetermination records seized by national agents past week. An exigency question has been filed successful national court arsenic region leaders pass the probe could person sweeping implications for elections nationwide.

County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said during a Wednesday greeting quality league astatine the Fulton County Government Center that the region has formally asked a national justice to bid the instrumentality of election materials taken past week during an FBI search of the county's elections office successful Union City.

"This is simply a superior case," Pitts said. "Our Constitution is astatine involvement successful this fight. The Constitution is the instrumentality of the land. It is not a suggestion."

Fulton County filed the question soon earlier 9 a.m. nether Rule 41(g) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, seeking the instrumentality of archetypal 2020 ballots and related records seized during the execution of a national hunt warrant. The question besides asks the tribunal to artifact the national authorities from reviewing oregon utilizing the materials portion the lawsuit is pending and to spot the substance connected an expedited schedule.

"I committed to the voters of Fulton County and the world, for that matter, that we volition usage each assets astatine our disposal to combat for their ballot and that we volition fight, are utilizing our resources against those who question to instrumentality implicit our elections," Pitts said.

The filing remains nether seal, and Pitts said helium could not sermon its contents. However, helium confirmed the region is besides requesting that the affidavit utilized to warrant the hunt warrant beryllium unsealed.

Federal agents seized astir 656 boxes of predetermination materials, according to the county. A warrant screen expanse provided to Fulton County shows agents were seeking ballots from the 2020 wide election, tabulator tapes, physics ballot images, and elector rolls.

Pitts said region officials were fixed nary beforehand announcement of the hunt and were not provided copies of the records taken.

"They showed up and took the boxes they wanted," Pitts said. "We don't adjacent person copies of what they took. We don't cognize wherever they are oregon who has them, and that's a problem."

County leaders stressed that the seizure does not bespeak wrongdoing by predetermination officials. Pitts said helium has nary concerns astir arrests and defended the county's elections staff.

"We're simply doing our job," helium said. "I person not done thing that would warrant an arrest, and I'm not alert of anyone successful our elections section who has either."

In a candid, unscripted comment, Pitts described receiving a telephone telephone from an unnamed source, telling him, "You guys can't relax" and "Arrests are coming." This signals what could beryllium an escalating struggle betwixt Fulton County and the Trump administration.

Commissioner Marvin Arrington, whose territory includes the elections headquarters, said helium pushed for the exigency filing to determination quickly.

"Justice delayed is justness denied," Arrington said successful a statement. "Actions similar this wide seizure hazard sowing seeds of distrust successful the predetermination process."

Pitts said the lawsuit extends acold beyond Fulton County. He described the region arsenic a nationalist focal constituent due to the fact that of the scrutiny surrounding the 2020 election. He mentioned that Fulton County's results person been reviewed, audited, and hand-recounted aggregate times, with nary alteration to the outcome.

Since 2020, Pitts said, Fulton County has successfully conducted 17 elections without contented and remains focused connected administering escaped and just elections successful 2026.

"Our elections section is doing precisely what the instrumentality requires," Pitts said. "We indispensable beryllium capable to bash that without interference oregon the menace of a national takeover."

Pitts said the region has enlisted extracurricular ineligible experts to assistance successful the lawsuit and pledged to support the nationalist informed arsenic the tribunal process moves forward.

In:

Read Entire Article