Georgia Ballot Inquiry Originated With Election Denier in Trump White House (NYT Gift Subsription)

[LetMyPeopleVote]

A newly unsealed affidavit showed that a criminal investigation into the 2020 election in Fulton County, Ga., relied heavily on claims about ballots that have been widely debunked.

Link to tweet

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/us/politics/fulton-county-kurt-olsen-fbi-search-2020-ballots.html?unlocked_article_code=1.LFA.DuFA.VTusLchR3vAU&smid=tw-share

An F.B.I. search warrant affidavit unsealed on Tuesday shows that a criminal investigation into 2020 election results in Fulton County, Ga., was set off by a leading election denier in the Trump administration and relied heavily on claims about ballots that have been widely debunked.

The unsealing of the affidavit in Fulton County is likely to raise more questions about the Trump administration’s use of the F.B.I. and Justice Department to revive old, largely disproved claims about the 2020 election in the state, which President Trump narrowly lost.

“The FBI criminal investigation originated from a referral sent by Kurt Olsen, Presidentially appointed Director of Election Security and Integrity,” the affidavit said. Mr. Olsen played a central role in Mr. Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election, including speaking to the president multiple times on Jan. 6, 2021. He has continued to push false claims about elections, and was recently appointed to a key role in the Trump administration.

Many of the claims in the affidavit refer to long-held — and consistently debunked — conspiracy theories about elections in Georgia, including arguments about fraudulent and duplicate absent ballots, election machine tabulator tapes and missing ballot images. ....

In a court filing last week, Fulton County pointed to the many debunked conspiracy theories and previous investigations as a reason that the affidavit should be unsealed.

“The continued perpetuation of these unfounded allegations sows distrust around both judicial and electoral processes in Fulton County and the state of Georgia,” the county wrote. “Transparency is necessary to ensure public knowledge and confidence. At a minimum, the public has a right to know what its government is doing.”

This search warrant was issued based on really bad information. The attorney who filed for this search warrant needs to worry about sanctions.

[pat_k]

1. Can Georgia prosecute for obtaining a warrant on a perjured statement??

Without even looking, I have NO doubt that every single one of this asshole's allegations has been as irrefutably disproven as the intentional, defamatory lies that FOX promoted and paid 787 million in damages for.

[AZJonnie]

2. The problem is Trump's ultimate goal in this context has probably already been accomplished

Trump likely doesn't care what they eventually prove or do not prove, nor whether anyone is ever charged in this joke of a "criminal investigation" that serves as the pretext for the seizure.

He wanted the power to take ballots away from states away like this, and he was granted it, and his goons went and did it.

He won, and our democratic republic lost

[everyonematters]

3. Ok, who was the brain dead judge who signed the warrant, and how many other judges

did they go to before they found one who would sign it?

[Takket]

4. Here's a good article about this......

There is nothing here that would lead to a finding of probable cause. Nothing.

The judge that signed off on this has some explaining to do.........

https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/critics-slam-affidavit-behind-fulton-raid/

“It’s largely based on complaints already made either in court or before the Georgia State Election Board,” Stephen Richer, a former Arizona election official, posted. “It does not name any alleged criminals (redacted or otherwise). It gives no insight into who they think might have committed a crime.”

Richer added that the witnesses cited were “largely drawn from the MAGA people on the Georgia State Election Board and then election-fraud hobbyists.”

Legal analyst Harry Litman said the affidavit raised more questions than it answered.

“In Fulton County, there had been a mystery as to what the evidence that the magistrate used to find probable cause would look like. Now there’s a new mystery,” Litman said. “How in the world did the magistrate approve this bunch of recycled and discredited allegations to find probable cause?”