FBI surges analysts into Georgia 2020 election probe

The FBI has ordered field offices nationwide to send analysts to Atlanta for a rapid review of records tied to an investigation into the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia, according to memos reviewed by NBC News and CBS News and people familiar with the matter.

An internal FBI memo described the assignment as “surge support” for an “FBI Atlanta priority investigation” connected to FBI Director Kash Patel’s office. The memo did not identify the investigation by name, but multiple people familiar with it told NBC News and CBS News that it centers on the 2020 election in Fulton County.

“In support of the Director’s Office priority effort, the Directorate of Intelligence (DI) and Criminal Division are requesting all FBI field offices to immediately surge support to an FBI Atlanta priority investigation,” the memo said, according to NBC News.

The directive seeks 260 personnel, mostly analysts, to assist agents already working the case. Each analyst is expected to review 708 records, and the memo says all records checks must be completed by Friday, July 17. Staff will be trained by FBI Atlanta.

The assignment is broad. NBC News reported that small field offices are being told to provide three staff members each, medium and large offices five each, and extra-large offices eight. CBS News reported that large offices are being asked for eight analysts, while small and medium offices must provide between three and five. NBC News said the staffing request and approval of costs, including overtime for weekends and holidays, are highly unusual.

The FBI declined to comment to both outlets. The personnel surge was first reported by MS NOW.

CBS News reported that the analysts being sent are “tactical intel” staffers who typically support day-to-day casework by running license plates, conducting open-source checks, analyzing phones, preparing subpoenas and reviewing subpoena returns.

President Donald Trump has long focused on Georgia’s 2020 election results and has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that fraud caused his loss. CBS News reported that Trump has alleged officials in heavily Democratic Fulton County manipulated ballot counts and that large numbers of ballots were cast by deceased Georgians, nonresidents or other ineligible voters.

Trump lost Georgia to Joe Biden by 11,799 votes. CBS News reported that Biden’s win in the state was confirmed by both a machine recount and an audit involving hand recounts by every county in Georgia.

Trump was later charged criminally by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and by special counsel Jack Smith with allegedly conspiring to illegally overturn the results in the swing state, according to NBC News. He pleaded not guilty in both cases. Both cases were ultimately dropped after Trump was elected to a second term.

The Justice Department has focused on Fulton County as part of the continuing inquiry. NBC News reported that the FBI executed a search warrant in January at a Fulton County election hub and seized more than 600 boxes of ballots, ballot images and voter rolls from the 2020 election. CBS News reported that agents seized “all physical ballots” from 2020, along with tapes from vote-tabulating machines, ballot images and voter rolls.

CBS News reported that a judge in May denied Fulton County’s request to have the seized ballots returned. NBC News reported that the Justice Department also issued an April subpoena seeking the names, addresses and contact information of election staff members and volunteers who worked on the 2020 election, and that the county has asked a judge to quash it.

CBS News reported that the case was referred to the FBI by Kurt Olsen, a lawyer who previously fought to help overturn the 2020 election results and now works for the Justice Department in Miami on an investigation into whether Obama- and Biden-era officials conspired to keep Trump out of office.