Two FBI analysts are out of a job — and the reason why is the story. According to multiple sources briefed on the matter, the FBI last week fired two of its analysts after they expressed concerns that the bureau’s investigation into the 2020 election results in Fulton County, Georgia was thin on evidence and appeared politically motivated.
What the FBI’s Fulton County Investigation Involves
The firings follow a massive records-review operation. Earlier this year, the FBI executed a search warrant and seized all physical ballots from 2020, along with vote-tabulating machine tapes, ballot images, and voter rolls from Fulton County. An internal memo described the case as a priority for FBI Director Kash Patel, and the bureau surged roughly 260 investigative analysts from field offices nationwide onto the effort — each tasked with checking hundreds of records by July 17, with weekend and holiday overtime authorized.
Asked about the firings, an FBI spokesperson told CBS News the bureau will always investigate credible allegations related to federal elections, and that every employee is expected to uphold the FBI’s mission and standards — adding that deviation “will not be tolerated.”
The Receipts on Both Sides
Receipts over rhetoric — so here’s the full picture. The probe was referred to the FBI by Kurt Olsen, a lawyer who previously fought to overturn the 2020 election results and was sanctioned by a court while representing Kari Lake in her Arizona election challenge. Olsen now works at the Justice Department.
On the other side of the ledger: the Georgia State Election Board, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Secretary of State’s office, and the FBI itself previously investigated Fulton County’s 2020 election and found the fraud allegations false and unsubstantiated. In a recent federal court hearing — the first time this investigation has been aired in open court — former U.S. Election Assistance Commission official Ryan Macias testified that the FBI’s list of irregularities didn’t represent a crime and that the witness statements the government relied on had “no basis in reality.” The Justice Department fired back, calling that testimony “woefully inadequate” and defending the agent who wrote the affidavit as engaging honestly with the magistrate.
What Happens Next
Fulton County has fought to quash the probe and get its ballots back. A judge denied the county’s request to return the seized ballots in May, but the county scored a win this month when a judge quashed a grand jury subpoena. With the analyst surge deadline hitting July 17 and midterms looming, this fight is nowhere near over — and the firing of internal skeptics guarantees the scrutiny only intensifies.
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