Nov 2020 – Joe Biden wins Georgia by just over 12,000 votes after a hand recount, marking the state’s first Democratic presidential victory since 1992 and prompting multiple court affirmations of the result [1].

Aug 2023 – Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis files a sweeping indictment against former President Donald Trump and 18 co‑defendants, alleging a conspiracy to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election outcome [13][19].

Nov 2023 – A federal judge dismisses the Willis indictment, citing an “appearance of impropriety” stemming from the DA’s romantic relationship with a hired prosecutor, effectively ending the state‑level criminal case [13][17][19].

July 2024 – Georgia’s State Election Board, now with a conservative majority, adopts a resolution requesting assistance from the U.S. Attorney General and issues subpoenas for 2020 ballots, stubs, and digital files, reviving the state’s scrutiny of the election [13].

2024 – Independent monitors report that Fulton County’s election administration improves markedly, describing the 2024 contest as “organized and orderly” after earlier criticism of the 2020 primary’s “sloppy processes” [20].

Dec 2025 – The Department of Justice files a civil suit demanding Fulton County produce all used and void ballots, ballot stubs, signature envelopes, and related digital files from the 2020 general election, laying the legal groundwork for the upcoming federal search [1].

Jan 28, 2026 – FBI agents execute a court‑authorized search warrant at the Fulton County Election Hub in Union City, loading roughly 700 boxes of physical ballots, tabulator tapes, electronic images, and voter‑roll data onto trucks for transport to the agency’s Records Complex in Virginia [8][16][17][20].

Jan 28, 2026 – Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard appears on site beside FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey during the raid, a role atypical for the DNI and later justified by her office as covering “election‑security counterintelligence” [8][20].

Jan 29, 2026 – President Trump places a brief speaker‑phone call to the agents after the raid, thanking them and offering a “pep talk” but issuing no investigative directives; the call is arranged by Gabbard [10][4].

Jan 29, 2026 – Trump publicly thanks the agents, describing their work as protecting “America’s elections” and noting that Gabbard “facilitated a brief phone call” for the gratitude [4].

Jan 29, 2026 – Fulton County Commissioner Mo Ivory denounces the FBI operation as “an assault on your vote,” accusing the federal government of undermining voter confidence [1][12].

Jan 29, 2026 – Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts warns that the seizure leaves the county unable to assure the public that the ballots remain secure, and he vows to pursue legal remedies [8][9].

Jan 30, 2026 – Gabbard issues a statement that her statutory authority to “coordinate, integrate, and analyze intelligence related to election security” justifies her presence, citing her office’s mandate to identify vulnerabilities in critical voting infrastructure [7][14].

Jan 31, 2026 – President Trump praises Gabbard on CNN, saying she is “working very hard to try to keep the election safe” and hinting that “interesting things” will emerge from the investigation [6].

Feb 2, 2026 – Fulton County attorneys file a motion in the Northern District of Georgia invoking Rule 41(g) to contest the FBI’s warrant, demand the return of the seized ballots, and request forensic accounting of the seizure [5].

Feb 3, 2026 – Gabbard writes to the House and Senate intelligence committees that President Trump personally asked her to attend the Fulton County search and that she “facilitated a brief phone call for the President to thank the agents,” framing the visit as a statutory duty [14].

Feb 3, 2026 – White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt states that President Trump “tapped” Gabbard to oversee election sanctity and that she works directly alongside the FBI director in a “whole‑of‑government effort” [3][4].

Feb 4, 2026 – Fulton County files a sealed federal lawsuit demanding the return of the 700‑plus seized ballot boxes and seeking an order to unseal the warrant affidavit that justified the search [9].

Feb 5, 2026 – Senate leaders split over oversight of the raid: Democratic Senator Mark Warner calls Gabbard’s involvement “inappropriate” and seeks her testimony, while Republican Senator Tom Cotton declines comment, highlighting partisan disagreement on the investigation’s legitimacy [2].

2026 (ongoing) – The Trump administration discusses possible voting‑related executive orders ahead of the November midterms, though specifics remain unclear, signaling a continued push to reshape election rules after the Georgia raid [11].