Georgia Election Office Search Relied On Years-Old Claims

ATLANTA (AP) — The FBI relied on years-old claims of fraud, many of them thoroughly investigated, to obtain a search warrant to seize ballots from election offices in Fulton County, Georgia. That’s according to an affidavit unsealed Tuesday that shows the investigation began with a referral from an administration official who tried to help President Donald Trump overturn his 2020 election loss. The affidavit provides the first public justification for an FBI search last month that targeted a county that Trump and allies have long seen as central to their false claim that the 2020 election was stolen. Audits, state officials, courts and Trump’s own former attorney general have all rejected the idea of widespread problems that could have altered the outcome.