US Judge Allows FBI to Keep Seized 2020 Ballots

A US judge has ruled that the Justice Department may keep more than 600 boxes of ballots from the 2020 presidential election that the FBI seized during a January search of a voting center in Fulton County, Georgia. The ruling denied a request by local authorities to have the material returned.

The judge acknowledged deficiencies in the FBI affidavit but said there was no evidence of knowing deception or disregard for rights, the threshold that would have been needed to order the return of the records.

The decision allows a criminal investigation to proceed into whether election records were properly maintained or whether fraud was committed.

The investigation still faces obstacles. The Justice Department has not identified specific suspects, and questions remain over whether the statute of limitations has expired for the possible offenses under review. The dispute is being closely watched ahead of November’s congressional elections as Donald Trump continues to question the result of the 2020 presidential election and press for a re-examination.

The case was initiated by lawyer Kurt Olsen, who was involved in Trump’s efforts to overturn the election result. Other records were also seized during the search, and authorities cited possible flaws in the handling of the votes.

Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold, argues that many of the findings have already been debunked or arose from misunderstandings.

(reuters, max)