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ATLANTA — An FBI investigation of the 2020 election in Georgia’s Fulton County used to be initiated by a attorney working for the Trump administration who additionally aided President Trump’s efforts to strive to overturn that election years ago, per an affidavit unsealed Tuesday.

The affidavit, written by FBI Particular Agent Hugh Raymond Evans, resulted in a resolve signing off on a search warrant of Fulton County’s elections hub, valid delivery air Atlanta. The FBI accomplished that search warrant on Jan. 28, seizing bigger than 650 containers of ballots and completely different 2020 election presents.

The affidavit relies on deceptive and already-disproven claims about the 2020 election. Fulton County’s 2020 ballots possess been counted three separate instances, with the outcomes affirmed.

“This warrant application is part of an FBI criminal investigation into whether any of the improprieties were intentional acts that violated federal criminal laws,” the affidavit reads. “The FBI criminal investigation originated from a referral sent by Kurt Olsen, Presidentially appointed Director of Election Security and Integrity.”

Olsen played an integral role in Trump’s failed efforts to overturn his slim 2020 election defeat by intelligent the outcomes in Georgia and completely different swing states.

The White Dwelling didn’t acknowledge to NPR’s questions Tuesday about Olsen’s role within the administration.

The FBI investigation, per the affidavit, is furious by five “deficiencies or defects” with the election and the following tabulation.

But those claims comprise allegations which possess been investigated and unsubstantiated by recount officials, including claims about lacking scanned pictures of ballots, even supposing recount regulations at the time didn’t require counties to defend them as records.

Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of recount who resisted Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss within the recount, used to be crucial of the probe. Raffensperger is now working for governor.

“As Secretary of State, I’ve made Georgia the safest and most secure place to vote,” he acknowledged in a assertion. “Instead of wasting time and tax dollars trying to change the past with baseless and repackaged claims, let’s focus our efforts on building a safer, more affordable future for all hardworking Georgians.”

In a assertion, David Becker, a extinct Justice Division official who’s now govt director of the Middle for Election Knowledge & Compare, known as the affidavit “much weaker than I suspected.”

“After more than five years, dozens of court cases, and over a year in total control of the federal government, this is all they’ve got?” he acknowledged. “If taken at its word, this entire affidavit at most alleges human error after a late night during a global pandemic, all of which had no impact on the outcome of the race.”

The affidavit additionally would not level out any evidence or suspicion of foreign election interference, elevating more questions about the presence of Director of Nationwide Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard at the positioning of the raid.

In a letter to Democratic lawmakers final week, after the quest, Gabbard defended her role in investigating election security. She additionally confirmed that she “facilitated a brief phone call for the President to thank the [Atlanta-area FBI] agents personally for their work.” The choice used to be first reported by The Contemporary York Instances. Gabbard acknowledged Trump “did not ask any questions, nor did he or I issue any directives.”

Trump and his allies possess persevered to level of interest on the 2020 election and falsely order he used to be victorious whereas additionally taking phenomenal steps to exert federal control over future vote casting, including suing states to strive to bag unredacted voter rolls and suggesting that Republicans “nationalize” elections.