FBI to investigate Georgia as 2020 election fraud conspiracy continues
Six years later, the 2020 presidential election is back at the forefront in Georgia as a federal investigation ramps up and the Republican Senate candidate continues to deny election results.
President Trump has long alleged voter fraud in Fulton County, Georgia, which includes much of metro Atlanta, after he lost the state during the election against Joe Biden.
The Fulton County Election Hub in Union City was raided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in January and hundreds of election materials were seized. The raid was ordered when Kent Olsen, the Director of Election Security and Integrity sent a referral to the agency. Olsen is better known as the "Stop the Steal" lawyer who drafted an executive order ahead of January 6 for the Department of Justice to take action in 2020.
The raid sparked outcry from Georgia leaders, with Senator Raphael Warnock saying the action was a "pretext" for Trump to interfere in the upcoming midterm elections.
Now, the investigation is ramping up at the same time MAGA Senate candidate Mike Collins brings election denial back into his campaign.
Here's what to know.
FBI to "surge" 2020 election investigation in Georgia
According to an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press, FBI field agents across the country have been instructed to "surge" the investigation into election impropriety in Fulton County with as many as 260 analysts.
The analysts were given a deadline of July 17 to each check more than 700 records that were obtained during the January raid.
The memo, first obtained by MS NOW, did not go into specifics as to the extent of their investigation, but called it a "priority effort" for an "FBI Atlanta priority investigation." Officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the surge is related to the 2020 election in Georgia.
The memo approved overtime for the analysts, and one official said analysts should be "looking for derogatory information ... The idea is to build a case. Look at associations between people, look into their social media, their business activity, travel, contact with other investigative subjects."
It is unclear what will happen once the July 17 deadline arrives.
Trump, Collins haven't let go of 2020 loss
Despite Trump winning the 2024 presidential election, he has not been able to let go of the fraud he alleges took place in Georgia four years earlier. Multiple investigations, including those led by Republicans, have failed to provide evidence that the Fulton County election results were tampered with or changed.
In February, Trump attended an event in Rome, Georgia to support now-elected Clay Fuller in his race to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene. During his remarks, he referenced the recent FBI raid and said election officials were "trying to stop anyone from looking" because they "cheated like dogs."
His message is now being shared again through the Trump-endorsed Republican Senate candidate, Mike Collins.
Collins is running in a crucial race against incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, who has a strong lead in early polling. Collins won a runoff primary election in June against former college football coach Derek Dooley, shortly after getting an official endorsement from the president.
In reporting from CNN's Inside Politics, Collins said Trump won the 2020 election as recently as June 16.
"I have said this over and over and over again. You don't change the rules in the middle of the game," Collins told reporter Manu Raju. He went on to accuse election officials of mailing out additional absentee ballots and "mass ballot harvesting."
"Trump won that race," Collins clarified.
Irene Wright covers Georgia politics and elections as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today's Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FBI to investigate Georgia as 2020 election fraud conspiracy continues
Reporting by Irene Wright, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 2:09 PM.