The FBI has ordered field offices across the country to send investigative analysts to Atlanta as part of an expanded investigation into the 2020 presidential election in Fulton County, Georgia, according to a memo reviewed by CBS News.
The directive, issued by the FBI’s Directorate of Intelligence, requests “surge support” from every field office to assist what the memo describes as FBI Director Kash Patel’s “priority” investigation. While the memo does not specify the subject of the probe, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News it pertains to the 2020 election in Fulton County.
According to the memo, the FBI is seeking a total of 260 analysts from offices nationwide. Larger field offices have been instructed to provide eight analysts each, while small and medium-sized offices are expected to contribute between three and five.
The analysts have been assigned to review 708 records each and are expected to complete the work by July 17.
The deployment was first reported by MS Now.
Investigative analysts, sometimes referred to as tactical intelligence personnel, typically support criminal investigations by reviewing records, analyzing phone data, conducting open-source research, running license plate checks, preparing subpoenas and examining subpoena returns.
The expanded effort follows earlier investigative steps taken by the bureau in Fulton County.
Earlier this year, FBI agents executed a search warrant that resulted in the seizure of all physical ballots from the county’s 2020 election, along with vote-tabulating machine tapes, ballot images and voter rolls, according to CBS News.
Fulton County, home to Atlanta, played a pivotal role in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election, which President Joe Biden won by 11,779 votes statewide.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly alleged that widespread irregularities affected the county’s vote count, claiming that ballots were manipulated and that votes were cast by deceased individuals, nonresidents and other ineligible voters.
Those allegations have not been substantiated in court.
Following the election, Georgia officials conducted both a machine recount and a statewide audit involving hand recounts of every county’s ballots. Both processes confirmed Biden’s victory in the state.
According to CBS News, the current FBI investigation was referred to the bureau by Justice Department attorney Kurt Olsen, who previously worked to challenge the 2020 election results on Trump’s behalf.
Olsen is now assigned to the Justice Department in Miami, where he is helping investigate what has been described as a broader inquiry into whether officials from the Obama and Biden administrations conspired to prevent Trump from returning to office.
The memo reviewed by CBS News does not provide additional details about the scope of the Fulton County investigation or identify specific allegations under review.
Neither the FBI nor the Justice Department has publicly commented on the nationwide deployment of analysts.
The expanded review represents one of the largest personnel commitments yet tied to a federal investigation involving the 2020 election, with analysts from every FBI field office expected to assist in reviewing thousands of records over the coming weeks.
