Warner Raises Alarm on FBI Diverting Critical Resources to Investigate Debunked Accusations Surrounding 2020 Presidential Election in Georgia

WASHINGTON – Just a few months away from the 2026 midterm elections, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, is demanding answers from reports surrounding the Trump administration diverting personnel and resources to further perpetuate and re-investigate the debunked lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. In a letter sent to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel, Sen. Warner wrote , “I write to express great concern regarding reportsthat you are diverting critical Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) resources to re-investigate the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. The 2020 election has been extensively audited, investigated, and litigated. Multiple courts and state officials have found that there is no evidence to support allegations of substantial fraud that would have changed the election outcome. The Trump administration’s own Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) called the 2020 election the ‘most secure in American history’ and President Trump’s own Cabinet members at the DOJand FBIrejected the idea there was widespread fraud that impacted the outcome of the election.” Sen. Warner explained that Georgia’s election officials and state investigators have already conducted multiple investigations into specific allegations of fraud. Additionally, a full hand recount, followed by a machine recount reaffirmed the original result. A signature match audit of absentee ballots conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation also confirmed “that the election was secure and fair, and that the result was accurate.” Sen. Warner continued, “Nonetheless, months before the 2026 midterm election, two years before the next general election, and well after the statute of limitations would have run, you designated Georgia’s 2020 election as a ‘priority investigation’ and are diverting 260 investigators from their assigned duties to conduct this inquiry. This misuse of taxpayer dollars and investigative resources for the sole purpose of a partisan investigation intended to soothe the President’s personal grievances about the 2020 election and its systems – the same systems that securely, fairly, and freely declared him as the winner of the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections – is negligence and abuse of power of the highest order.” “The FBI’s core mission is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution. Dedicated FBI special agents and intelligence analysts work tirelessly to identify legitimate threats and conduct investigations into complex issues involving terrorism, counterintelligence and espionage, cyberattacks, and violent crime,” Sen. Warner wrote . “Their work is crucial to safeguarding Americans from harm, crime, corruption, and terrorism. Unlike those serious threats to the country, this fool’s errand of an “investigation” will serve to erode trust in the FBI, the DOJ, and America’s elections. It is alarming that you have chosen to divert these crucial national security resources and personnel to an investigation driven by the personal, political interests of the President.” The letter concludes by requesting a staff briefing and asking a series of questions regarding the scope and legal basis for the investigation and data on the personnel re-assigned and the impact of the diversion to ongoing FBI investigations. Sen. Warner is committed to making sure elections are fair, safe, and secure. Earlier this year, Sen. Warner demanded answers from former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on election security after she joined the FBI in raiding Fulton County, Georgia’s elections office. He also previously pushed DNI Gabbard and ODNI to coordinate an intelligence community (IC) briefing on foreign election threats and requested a plan for defensive cybersecurity measures ahead of upcoming election cycles. In May, Sen. Warner sent a letter to DHS Secretary Mullin raising concerns on reports that CISA is not providing critical election security support to states and localities. Read the full letter here and below. Dear Acting Attorney General Blanche and Director Patel, I write to express great concern regarding reports that you are diverting critical Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) resources to re-investigate the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. The 2020 election has been extensively audited, investigated, and litigated. Multiple courts and state officials have found that there is no evidence to support allegations of substantial fraud that would have changed the election outcome. The Trump administration’s own Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) called the 2020 election the “most secure in American history” and President Trump’s own Cabinet members at the DOJ and FBI rejected the idea there was widespread fraud that impacted the outcome of the election. Additionally, Georgia’s election officials and state investigators conducted multiple investigations into specific allegations of fraud and election irregularities. Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State, Brad Raffensberger, oversaw a full hand recount of all the 2020 presidential ballots, followed by a machine recount, both of which upheld and reaffirmed the original result. Subsequently, a signature match audit of absentee ballots conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation similarly confirmed the outcomes of all the other investigations – that the election was secure and fair, and that the result was accurate. Nonetheless, months before the 2026 midterm election, two years before the next general election, and well after the statute of limitations would have run, you designated Georgia’s 2020 election as a “priority investigation” and are diverting 260 investigators from their assigned duties to conduct this inquiry. This misuse of taxpayer dollars and investigative resources for the sole purpose of a partisan investigation intended to soothe the President’s personal grievances about the 2020 election and its systems – the same systems that securely, fairly, and freely declared him as the winner of the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections – is negligence and abuse of power of the highest order. The FBI’s core mission is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution. Dedicated FBI special agents and intelligence analysts work tirelessly to identify legitimate threats and conduct investigations into complex issues involving terrorism, counterintelligence and espionage, cyberattacks, and violent crime. Their work is crucial to safeguarding Americans from harm, crime, corruption, and terrorism. Unlike those serious threats to the country, this fool’s errand of an “investigation” will serve to erode trust in the FBI, the DOJ, and America’s elections. It is alarming that you have chosen to divert these crucial national security resources and personnel to an investigation driven by the personal, political interests of the President. I request a staff briefing and answers to the following questions no later than two weeks from the date of this letter. What is the scope, nature, and purpose of the FBI’s investigation? What division is leading the investigation? Does the FBI believe a criminal offense has been committed, and if so, what is the basis for that belief? What legal or factual development prompted the FBI to designate the Georgia 2020 election investigation as a “priority investigation,” and how does that evidence differ from information previously reviewed by state investigators, federal investigators, courts, election officials, and other government entities? How does the FBI justify reinvestigating allegations that have already been debunked through multiple recounts, audits, state investigations, and judicial proceedings, including Georgia’s statewide hand tally, machine recount, and absentee ballot signature audits? Is the investigation limited to Georgia, or is it part of a broader effort reexamining the 2020 election in multiple states? If so, what states and why? What criteria did the FBI use to determine that 260 intelligence analysts and other personnel should be reassigned to this investigation, and what analysis was conducted regarding the impact of those reassignments on the Bureau’s other priorities? List the offices that the agents and analysts were pulled from and the duration of their assignment on this investigation. What is the total projected cost of the investigation, including personnel, overtime, travel, and record review, and how does that expenditure compare with other current FBI priority investigations? For the briefing, come prepared to discuss the cost of the investigation to date and the burn rate. Will the FBI commit to providing Congress with a classified or public briefing explaining the scope of this investigation, legal basis, factual predicate, and resource allocation? Please provide all communications directing agencies, field offices, or other entities to provide personnel and resources for investigations relating to the 2020 election since January 20, 2025. Please provide a full accounting of all FBI personnel working on the 2020 election since January 20, 2025, including the number of personnel, assignment duration, and mission details. Please provide a list of all investigations paused, terminated, or reassigned as a result of, in whole or in part, investigations and efforts related to the 2020 election since January 20, 2025. As the nation’s principal law enforcement and domestic intelligence agency, the FBI should direct its resources towards investigations that protect public safety and address urgent threats – not partisan political wild goose chases. This diversion of significant FBI resources towards a political investigation threatens the purpose of its mission and endangers Americans. I strongly urge the Department and Bureau to reconsider this decision and put the FBI back to work preventing and investigating real crimes. ###