Sen. Warnock, Georgia lawmakers demand answers from DOJ on recent Fulton election worker subpoena
Georgia's two senators and Fulton County election officials are demanding answers from the Department of Justice and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche relating to the subpoena issued by a U.S. Attorney based in North Carolina last week.
The sweeping grand jury subpoena seeks personal information on thousands of people who helped run the 2020 election. Fulton County officials have described the request as "overbroad," "harassment," and legally unjustified.
Sen. Warnock led the letter to Acting AG Blanche, joined by U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams and U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath. The lawmakers requested an immediate briefing from the DOJ no later than May 22 and written answers by June 1.
According to the lawmakers, the subpoena seeks rosters identifying election workers, staff, contractors and volunteers, including names, positions, residential addresses, email addresses and personal phone numbers.
"Fulton County election workers have already endured years of threats and harassment from false claims about the 2020 election," the lawmakers wrote. "The Department's subpoena risks compounding that harm by demanding the residential addresses and personal contact information of thousands of people who served in election administration."
The subpoena follows a January FBI search at a Fulton County elections facility, where federal agents seized more than 600 boxes of 2020 election records and ballots, according to court proceedings and prior reporting. A federal judge recently ruled the DOJ could keep the seized materials while the investigation continues.
Fulton County has moved to quash the subpoena, calling it "overbroad," "harassing" and "untethered to any reasonable need." CBS News Atlanta previously reported the subpoena seeks identifying information for a broad group of election workers, including ballot reviewers, recount staff, mobile voting workers and volunteers.
In their letter, the lawmakers questioned why the subpoena was issued in the Northern District of Georgia while identifying an assistant U.S. attorney from the Middle District of North Carolina as the requesting prosecutor.
They also asked what federal offenses the DOJ is investigating, whether the statute of limitations has expired for any potential charges and what safeguards would be used to protect workers' personal information.
"The 2020 Presidential election in Georgia has been counted, recounted, audited, certified, litigated, and repeatedly confirmed," the lawmakers wrote. "Nevertheless, false claims about the 2020 election have continued to erode trust in our elections and fuel harassment against election workers and volunteers."
The DOJ has not publicly responded to the letter.
