Election Expert Testifies Fbi's Evidence In Fulton County Ballot Case 'doesn't Make Sense'

ATLANTA — A starring elections master told a national judge connected Friday that nan grounds nan FBI utilized to warrant a caller seizure of 2020 predetermination ballots from Fulton County, Georgia, “doesn’t make sense.”

Ryan Macias, a erstwhile U.S. Election Assistance Commission official, testified that nan database of irregularities nan FBI identified didn’t correspond a crime and that nan witnesses nan authorities based their investigation connected appeared misinformed..

The witnesses nan FBI cited “use contradictory terminology and it represents a misunderstanding of really elections work,” Macias said.

The grounds came amid a proceeding complete custody of Fulton County’s ballots and predetermination materials, which were seized by nan FBI successful January during a ambush connected an predetermination hub. Fulton County sued and demanded nan materials backmost past month.

In tribunal connected Friday, Abbe Lowell, an lawyer for nan county, criticized nan government’s witnesses and information, which were laid retired successful a since-unsealed sworn affidavit that is “full of inaccuracies.”

The affidavit, which was unsealed successful February and mostly rehashes antecedently investigated predetermination fraud claims, elaborate that nan grounds was based connected interviews pinch blimpish activists and a referral from Kurt Olsen, a Republican who tried to overturn nan 2020 predetermination results. Olsen was appointed by President Donald Trump to analyse nan 2020 predetermination from wrong his administration.

Lowell based on nan government’s database of witnesses couldn’t beryllium trusted because, successful part, it includes “someone who was sanctioned doubly by nan courts for lying astir elections,” referring to Olsen.

Friday’s proceeding is nan first clip nan FBI’s investigation into 2020 predetermination fraud has been brought into unfastened court. Trump, who has spent years falsely claiming nan 2020 predetermination was stolen from him, has championed nan seizure.

Lowell based on location was nary grounds of a crime successful nan affidavit, because location was nary impervious of intentional wrongdoing.

“The only constituent that turns normal predetermination irregularities into crime is intent,” he said.

Georgia emerged arsenic a awesome of attraction for Trump aft nan authorities played a cardinal domiciled successful Joe Biden’s 2020 predetermination victory. There were astatine slightest 9 ineligible challenges by Trump and his friends involving Georgia complete allegations of irregularities and different voting issues. They were each either dropped aliases denied aliases dismissed by judges.

Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger, a Republican, successful a telephone telephone to “find 11,780 votes” — astir Biden’s separator of triumph successful nan state.

Outside of Georgia, nan FBI has besides subpoenaed records related to a arguable audit into nan 2020 predetermination successful Arizona, different cardinal battleground state.