FBI calls for ‘immediate surge’ of personnel to help Fulton County 2020 election probe, sources say

Justice DepartmentFBI calls for ‘immediate surge’ of personnel to help Fulton County 2020 election probe, sources say The effort will add 260 personnel into a probe of an election President Donald Trump has long alleged was “rigged.”Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00The Justice Department filed a subpoena in April to try to force the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections to release the names, addresses and contact information for 2020 election staff members and volunteers. Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJuly 2, 2026, 1:31 PM EDTBy Ryan J. Reilly, Michael Kosnar and Dareh GregorianThe FBI has issued a memo requesting all field offices surge a total of over 250 personnel into what it described as a “priority effort” for Director Kash Patel’s office, which two sources familiar with the effort said centers on the investigation into the 2020 election in Georgia.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.“In support of the Director’s Office priority effort, the Directorate of Intelligence (DI) and Criminal Division are requesting all FBI field offices to immediately surge support to an FBI Atlanta priority investigation,” said the internal memo, which has been obtained by NBC News.The FBI declined comment on the memo, which was first reported by MS Now. One of the sources said it is an effort to dig deeper into the 2020 election, focusing on individuals and records to support President Donald Trump’s election fraud theories that he continues to push.The directive came directly from Patel’s office and in all includes 260 personnel, apparently mostly analysts, who will join agents already working the Fulton County investigation.Each analyst is expected to review 708 records.The number of personnel being asked to work on the case and the approval of the costs, including overtime for weekends and holidays, is highly unusual.It requires small fi...