The FBI has significantly expanded its investigation into the 2020 election in Georgia, assigning 260 additional personnel to what an internal memo describes as a “priority,” according to a source familiar with the matter. This move intensifies the inquiry into an election that former President Donald Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed was rigged.
The memo, obtained by CNN, calls for a rapid deployment of 260 FBI intelligence officials to supplement agents already working in the Atlanta area. Some of these personnel, including data analysts, will work remotely, a law enforcement official said.
The surge follows recent efforts by the Justice Department and the Trump administration to accelerate election-related investigations. Kurt Olsen, a prominent election denier appointed by the White House to examine the 2020 election, made a referral in January that revived a criminal probe. Later that month, the FBI executed a warrant at the Fulton County elections office, seizing 700 boxes of election materials.
The Georgia probe is central to Trump’s “election integrity” campaign and his baseless claims of a stolen election. It remains unclear how far the FBI will extend its investigation beyond the 2020 election to other state elections. Federal prosecutors have also examined subsequent national elections, charging a small number of individuals with improper voter registration. Additionally, the Justice Department, using a grand jury, has demanded details about thousands of election workers who assisted Fulton County during the 2020 vote count.
