Fulton County pushes back on FBI raid, sealed warrant released

Fulton County officials respond to FBI raid of Elections Board

Chairman Robb Pitts of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners tells President Trump to "stay the h*ll out" of Fulton County in a press conference responding to a surprise FBI raid at the Fulton County Elections Board facility. Hear what other officials have to say about the raid.

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Fulton County leaders used a press conference Thursday to push back against questions and criticism following the FBI’s execution of a sealed search warrant at the county’s Elections Hub, emphasizing that the county complied with the warrant while standing by the integrity of its elections.

What they're saying:

Robb Pitts, speaking as chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, said the FBI arrived shortly after noon Wednesday and remained at the Elections Hub until about 9 p.m. Pitts said county attorneys reviewed the warrant and advised officials it was in Fulton County’s best interest to comply.

"There is a fight," Pitts said. "Fulton County is now, has been, and always will be committed to upholding the law, no matter what anyone else does."

Pitts said the records seized were already the subject of ongoing litigation and could have been transferred through the courts in a matter of weeks. "We in Fulton County have nothing, nothing, nothing to hide," he said, adding, "This is by no means over."

County officials said they do not know where the ballots and records were taken or how they will be handled now that they are out of county custody. Pitts said, "While they were here, they were safe and they secure," but added, "Once they left Fulton County… I don’t know where they are, I don’t know who has them, I don’t know what they’re doing with them."

Sherri Allen said the Department of Registration and Elections continues to conduct "efficient, transparent, and accurate elections," regardless of voters’ political affiliation. She said the county’s focus remains on upcoming elections in 2026.

Allen confirmed that approximately 700 boxes of election-related records were taken, noting that the materials were already scheduled to be discussed in court during a February hearing about how they would be transferred. "That’s not what happened yesterday," she said.

Both Pitts and Allen raised concerns about the potential misuse of election data, particularly information tied to poll workers and voters. Pitts said poll workers have already faced harassment since 2020 and warned against election data being "weaponized." Allen said concerns about voter privacy and personal information are valid but were "out of our hands yesterday."

When asked whether the county believes it or its officials could be targeted, Pitts said, "I have no idea," but added, "We have done everything right. We’ve complied with the law." He said Fulton County has conducted 17 elections since 2020 without major problems and pledged that future elections would remain "open, fair, and transparent."

Officials said the warrant remains sealed, leaving unanswered questions about the scope and target of the criminal investigation. County attorneys are continuing to review legal options as the case moves forward.RELATED STORIES

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The search is the latest development in years of legal disputes surrounding the 2020 election in Fulton County, which has been repeatedly targeted by President Donald Trump, who has claimed that the election was improperly conducted. State and local officials have consistently maintained that the election was fair, transparent and properly certified.

What was in the warrant

FOX 5 Atlanta received a copy of the sealed search warrant late Thursday morning.

What we know:

According to the search warrant, which was signed by a U.S. magistrate judge on Jan. 28, 2026, federal agents were authorized to search the Office of the Clerk of Court at 5600 Campbellton Fairburn Road in Fairburn, which houses Fulton County’s Elections Hub. The warrant is part of a criminal investigation into potential violations of federal election law, specifically Title 52 of the U.S. Code, sections 20701 and 20511. Those statutes govern the preservation of federal election records and prohibit false or fraudulent election-related activity. The warrant limits the scope of the investigation to actions occurring after Oct. 12, 2020.

Under the warrant’s Attachment B, investigators are authorized to seize all core records connected to the 2020 general election in Fulton County. 

That includes all physical ballots — absentee ballots and envelopes, early and in-person ballots, provisional and emergency ballots, as well as any damaged or duplicated ballots. Agents are also authorized to take all tabulator tapes from every voting machine used in the county, including zero tapes, opening and closing tapes, and any other machine-generated records. In addition, the warrant allows for the seizure of all ballot images from the original count, the recount and any subsequent scanning, along with all voter rolls from the 2020 election showing who was issued a ballot, who returned one and who voted in person. In effect, the warrant grants access to the complete paper and digital record of Fulton County’s 2020 election.

The warrant also spelled out how electronic data may be handled. It authorized the FBI to review, copy and analyze electronic records seized during the search, with that review permitted to involve not only agents but also federal prosecutors, support staff and technical experts. The document further allows complete copies of electronic data to be transferred to Department of Justice attorneys for independent review, meaning the records do not have to remain in Fulton County’s custody while the investigation continues.