A group of news organizations, including NBC News, has filed a motion to unseal filings and subpoenas in the Department of Justice\u2019s ongoing investigation into the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In January, the FBI seized ballots and other materials from the 2020 election from an elections hub in Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold in the key battleground state that President Donald Trump lost in 2020. Last month, the DOJ also sought to compel the county to hand over the names, home addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses of workers and volunteers who served during that election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
County officials have so far refused, calling it an effort to \u201ctarget, harass, and punish the President\u2019s perceived political opponents\u201d in a filing to quash the subpoena. They also note that the statute of limitations for any election crimes in 2020 has run out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fulton County\u2019s response justifies unsealing the filings, the news organizations argued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe grand jury witness \u2014 Fulton County \u2014 has disclosed the existence of the Subpoena, publicized the fact that it moved to quash the Subpoena, and even filed the Motion to Quash on the public docket. Thus, any grand jury secrecy has been lost, and the subsequent sealing of the Motion to Quash, the Subpoena, and the docket is not necessary or appropriate,\u201d an attorney for the media groups wrote in a motion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts said the county welcomed \u201cthe support of news organizations in our effort to bring greater transparency and accountability to his matter of vital public importance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTransparency matters,\u201d Pitts said in his statement. \u201cThe DOJ\u2019s demand for the personal information of election workers is unprecedented and raises serious public-interest concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Filings in this case have been revelatory. The affidavit used to justify the warrant for Fulton County\u2019s election materials was unsealed following the raid earlier this year, revealing that the investigation was rooted in largely debunked research by activists who have cast doubt on the integrity of the 2020 election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ryan Macias, a leading elections expert and a former U.S. Election Assistance Commission official, later testified before a federal judge that the FBI\u2019s evidence \u201cdoesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no basis in reality for most of the witness statements,\u201d he said. \u201cThere was missing information and the information that was relied on doesn\u2019t reflect reality \u2014 what actually happened.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n