FBI agents reportedly fear orders to seize ballots or voting machines before midterms

Left · 2MS NOW reported on Wednesday that some FBI agents are privately worried they will be ordered to seize voting machines or take other steps that disrupt election results around next week's midterm elections. 1 2 Left · 2According to Raw Story's account, MS NOW's report rests on seven people familiar with internal conversations at the bureau; the Independent says it cites multiple current and former officials. 1 2 Left · 2Federal law bars armed agents from polling places, but the officials said they feared the Justice Department could seek warrants built on weak fraud allegations, which could legally let armed agents take ballots or equipment. 1 2

Left · 2They pointed to the FBI's January raid in Fulton County, Georgia, where agents took ballots under a warrant that Raw Story says leaned on long-debunked 2020 election claims, and to a March collection of voting records and equipment tied to the Republican-led 2020 review in Maricopa County, Arizona; Raw Story says neither produced criminal charges. 1 2 Left · 2One current FBI official said there was evidence to expect at least one U.S. attorney and one FBI agent to be willing to sign on to such actions, citing Georgia and Arizona. Rob D'Amico, a former supervisory FBI agent and MS NOW contributor, said he worried the FBI would become the administration's arm in seizing machines or seeking warrants on questionable probable cause. 1 2 Left · 1The Independent adds that two Atlanta-based bureau analysts were fired in July after refusing to take part in the administration's 2020 election probe, as previously reported by MS NOW, and that officials fear seizing state materials could break the chain of custody and cast doubt on tallies. 2

Left · 2At a September Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, FBI Director Kash Patel answered a question from Sen. Richard Blumenthal about sending agents to polling places by saying, "I don't know that we can't legally do it." 1 2 Left · 2Attorney General Todd Blanche has declined to rule out post-election Justice Department moves. The Independent says he left open trying to block state certification while saying he had no plans to interfere "improperly", and that on CNN he called fears Trump might seek to overturn the results "crazy". 1 2 Left · 1The Independent says Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that Democrats will cheat, and that the Justice Department asked California to remove about 20,000 names from voter rolls as non-citizens, which the state disputed in a court filing. 2

Left · 2States are preparing: per MS NOW as relayed by Raw Story, one unnamed state attorney general asked federal judges for a chance to respond before any warrant targeting ballots or equipment is approved, and election administrators have planned for federal agents arriving at polling sites. New York Attorney General Letitia James wrote that armed federal agents are not allowed at polling places. 1 2 Left · 2The FBI did not immediately respond to MS NOW's request for comment, and the Independent said it had contacted the FBI; the reported fears are unverified and rest on anonymous sources. 1 2