The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has instructed its offices nationwide to assign more than 200 staff members to assist with the investigation into the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia. A memo obtained by the Associated Press on Thursday reveals a request for a "surge" of 260 investigative analysts and operations specialists, describing the effort as a "priority investigation".
Each staff member is required to review approximately 708 records by 17 July. Although the memo does not specify the exact nature of the inquiry, sources familiar with the matter confirmed it relates to the 2020 election investigation in Georgia. The staff will assist with the probe, which began when FBI agents seized hundreds of boxes containing ballots and documents from Fulton County in January.
Fulton County is Georgia's most populous and heavily Democratic, encompassing most of Atlanta. A county spokesperson declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation. Former President Donald Trump and his allies have repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud, despite Georgia's votes being counted three times—including once by hand—each confirming Joe Biden's victory.
The US Justice Department has previously stated it is investigating "irregularities that occurred during the 2020 presidential election in the county". The FBI's deployment underscores the seriousness of the inquiry into the election processes in this key battleground state.
