By Andrew Goudsward
WASHINGTON, May 6 (Reuters) – A U.S. judge on Wednesday ruled that the Justice Department can keep 2020 election ballots seized during an FBI search in January, a win for President Donald Trump’s administration as it pursues the president’s false claims of widespread voter fraud.
Atlanta-based U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee rejected Fulton County’s request for the return of original copies of the seized material. Lawyers for the county had argued that the FBI’s search of the county’s election hub relied on faulty and discredited evidence and violated protections under the U.S. Constitution.
Boulee determined there were flaws in an FBI affidavit used to secure a judge’s permission for the search, but concluded that those shortcomings did not amount to “callous disregard” for the county’s rights, the legal standard required to have the records returned.
“While the Affidavit was certainly far from perfect, this is not a situation where an officer left out all the facts that might undermine probable cause or where an officer intentionally lied,” Boulee wrote in a 68-page ruling.
Fulton County intends to “vigorously” pursue all available legal options, the county’s chairman, Robb Pitts, said in a statement, while adding that he disagreed with the judge’s ruling.
Spokespeople for the FBI and the Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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