Body camera footage captures confusion as FBI agents seize election records in Fulton County
Newly released body camera video is offering a look inside the tense moments federal agents searched Fulton County's elections headquarters. The incident has triggered an emergency court fight and drawn national attention to Georgia's election system.
The footage shows FBI agents combing through the county's elections hub in Union City last week as county officials appeared caught off guard and struggled to understand why thousands of 2020 election records were being taken. Fulton County leaders say they were given no advance notice of the search and are now fighting to regain control of the materials.
In one exchange captured on video, a county elections official questions the scope of the warrant as agents explain the process and who is allowed inside the building. An FBI spokesperson later told election staff that the seized records would be transported to the FBI's Central Records Complex in Virginia.
The search quickly escalated into a legal showdown.
On Wednesday morning, Fulton County filed an emergency motion in federal court asking a judge to order the return of the seized election materials. The motion was filed under Rule 41(g) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and also requests the court to unseal the affidavit used to justify the warrant. The filing itself remains under seal.
County leaders say the investigation could have sweeping implications for elections nationwide.
"This is a serious case," County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said during a news conference at the Fulton County Government Center. "Our Constitution is at stake in this fight. The Constitution is the law of the land. It is not a suggestion."
Federal agents seized approximately 656 boxes of election materials, according to county officials. A warrant cover sheet shows agents were seeking ballots from the 2020 general election, tabulator tapes from vote-counting machines, electronic ballot images and voter rolls.
Pitts said county officials were not provided copies of what was taken and still do not know exactly where the materials are or who has access to them.
"They showed up and took the boxes they wanted," Pitts said. "We don't even have copies of what they took. We don't know where they are or who has them, and that's a problem."
County leaders stressed that the seizure does not indicate wrongdoing by Fulton County election workers.
"We're simply doing our job," he said. "I have not done anything that would warrant an arrest, and I'm not aware of anyone in our elections department who has either."
Pitts also described receiving an unsolicited phone call warning that arrests were coming, even naming officials, a claim he said only deepened his concern about the broader implications of the investigation. No arrests have been made.
Pitts said Fulton County has become a national focal point because of continued scrutiny surrounding the 2020 election, even though the county's results have been reviewed, audited and hand-recounted multiple times without any change to the outcome.
Since 2020, Fulton County has successfully conducted 17 elections, Pitts said, and remains focused on administering free and fair elections in 2026.
"Our elections department is doing exactly what the law requires," he said. "We must be able to do that without interference or the threat of a federal takeover."
Emory University political scientist Andra Gillespie said the situation could reflect a broader strategy with national consequences.
"President Trump is making the case that federal elections should be nationalized," Gillespie said. "There's a big constitutional problem with that. But if fraud claims gain traction, this could be part of a larger effort to exert greater control over future elections."
As the court case unfolds, Pitts said Fulton County has brought in outside legal experts and pledged to keep the public informed in what he called a fight that reaches far beyond metro Atlanta.
