A recent FBI raid on Georgia election offices was part of a probe initiated by a Trump-appointed advisor, according to a newly unsealed search warrant affidavit.
WASHINGTON: The FBI seizure of 2020 election materials in Georgia originated from a criminal investigation launched by an advisor to former President Donald Trump.
This detail was revealed in a search warrant affidavit unsealed by a federal judge on Tuesday.
FBI agents raided election offices in Fulton County last month, removing hundreds of boxes of ballots and other materials. The affidavit states the FBI is investigating allegations of “electoral impropriety” and whether any acts violated federal criminal laws.
“The FBI criminal investigation originated from a referral sent by Kurt Olsen, Presidentially appointed Director of Election Security and Integrity,” the document said. Olsen was a member of Trump’s 2020 legal team that filed numerous unsuccessful lawsuits contesting the election results.
The affidavit cited several previously aired claims about the 2020 vote in Fulton County as potential evidence. Many of these claims have been previously debunked or rejected by courts.
Trump narrowly lost Georgia to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. He famously urged a state official in a recorded call to “find 11,780 votes” needed to overturn the result.
Fulton County chairman Rob Pitts said the county was targeted because he “stood up to Donald Trump’s big lie.” He asserted that every audit and court ruling has confirmed the county’s elections were fair and accurate.
Trump and others were charged in Georgia over alleged election subversion efforts, but that case was dismissed in November 2025. Separate federal election subversion charges were dropped after Trump won the 2024 presidential election.