FBI agent behind Fulton County ballot seizure warrant does not have to testify, judge rules
abcnews.com • • nation
Key Points:
- A federal judge ruled that FBI special agent Hugh Raymond Evans, who authored the affidavit for the search warrant leading to the seizure of 2020 election ballots in Fulton County, Georgia, will not have to testify in an upcoming hearing.
- Fulton County officials had subpoenaed Evans, alleging that his affidavit contained omissions and errors that could undermine the probable cause for the search warrant, and sought to question him on these issues and his state of mind.
- U.S. District Judge JP Boulee quashed the subpoena, siding with the federal government, which argued that the hearing could interfere with an ongoing investigation and involve complex privilege disputes.
- The FBI seized 700 boxes of ballots and related materials from Fulton County's Elections Hub on January 28, 2024, under the authority of the contested search warrant.
- The evidentiary hearing was ordered after mediation between the parties failed, but the government's motion to cancel the hearing was denied, though the agent's testimony was ultimately blocked.
