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Sources: FBI fires 2 analysts who raised concerns about Georgia 2020 election probe

▶ Watch Video: Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan slams 2020 election probe as “all about fear and intimidation”

The FBI last week fired two of its analysts after they expressed concerns that the investigation into the 2020 election results in Fulton County, Georgia, was thin on evidence and appeared to be politically motivated, according to several sources briefed on the matter.

The firings follow the FBI’s efforts to review thousands of records obtained earlier this year, after executing a search warrant and seizing “all physical ballots” from 2020, as well as tapes from vote-tabulating machines, ballot images and voter rolls. The bureau ordered 260 analysts to help sift through the ballots and voting data. 

“The FBI will always investigate credible allegations of matters related to federal elections,” an FBI spokesperson told CBS News. “Every employee at this FBI is expected to uphold our mission and adhere to our standards – any deviation will not be tolerated.”

The firings were reported earlier by MS Now.

The FBI analysts face a July 17 deadline this week to complete their work, CBS News previously reported. 

Sources with knowledge of the matter told CBS News that each analyst is being asked to review several hundred entries in a large spreadsheet that contains information such as names, addresses and voter IDs.

Analysts are then instructed to cross-check the information against the commercial database Accurint, and to highlight any discrepancies, the sources added. That database aggregates public records, including names, addresses, telephone numbers and other data, such as criminal history.

It is not clear what the FBI intends to do with the information once the review is complete.

The assignment has stoked a variety of concerns, including that the data in Accurint may not always be up to date, and that any discrepancies identified may not necessarily indicate any wrongdoing, the sources claimed. There is also the question of how the Justice Department could bring charges, since the likely five-year statute of limitations would have already expired in late 2025 or early 2026.

CBS News has reached out to Accurint’s parent company seeking comment. 

Some also fear the Trump administration may try to use the results of the review to claim the 2020 election results were wrong, a move that could stoke doubts about election integrity ahead of the midterm elections or be used to pressure Republicans to pass the SAVE Act, which would require Americans to show proof of citizenship in person to register to vote.

Fulton County officials have sought to quash the probe, which was referred to the FBI by Kurt Olsen, a lawyer who previously fought to try and overturn the results of the 2020 election as part of the Stop the Steal Movement. He was later sanctioned by a court while he was representing Kari Lake, in her bid to overturn her 2022 election loss in Arizona. 

Olsen now works for the Justice Department. He is assigned in Miami to help investigate the so-called “grand conspiracy” into whether Obama- and Biden-era officials conspired to keep President Trump out of office through a series of investigations, intelligence assessments and prosecutions, CBS News previously reported.

A judge in May denied a request by Fulton County to return the ballots that were seized.

However, since then, the county has secured a victory after a judge earlier this month quashed a grand jury subpoena seeking the names and personal contact information for every person who worked during the 2020 election in the county.

Luigi Mangione pleads guilty in federal case, admits shooting Brian Thompson

▶ Watch Video: CBS News New York Luigi Mangione entered a guilty plea in his federal case at a court appearance in Manhattan Friday morning, admitting to the judge that he shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown hotel in 2024.Mangione, 28, faced both federal and state trials in New York for the deadly shooting. He had previously pleaded not guilty in both cases.Sentencing in the federal case will take place on Dec. 18, with Mangione facing a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.His state trial is currently set to begin in September. What happened in courtThompson's family arrived in the courtroom at around 10:50 a.m. The hearing, which had been set to start at 11 a.m., got started a bit late. The courtroom had filled press personnel as well as about two rows of members of the public. Mangione entered the court at around 11:10 a.m. with his feet shackled and his hands behind his back. He was wearing tan prison clothing with a white T-shirt underneath. Just before 11:15 a.m., Mangione's defense team told the judge Mangione "is prepared to plead guilty to the indictment at this time." The judge asked Mangione if that was correct. "Yes," Mangione told the judge. The judge then asked Mangione a series of questions about his background and use of medications and drugs. The judge then found Mangione to be fully competent to enter the plea. The judge told Mangione that the maximum possible sentence is life in prison followed by supervised release. The judge added that there's no parole in the federal system, although good behavior and other programs can impact how long he will spend in prison. He will be required to serve 85% of the sentence, the judge said. The judge pointed out that there's no plea agreement between the defense and prosecution, and Mangione's defense attorney said that's correct. Mangione's admission in courtMangione then told the court in his own words what he did. He told the court that he had for years endured severe pain for a boken back and had navigated the health insurance system. He told the court he learned about the UnitedHealthcare annual investor conference in New York even though it wasn't publicized, and traveled to it. He told the court he posed as an investor to find out more information about the conference. He told the court he used a 3D printer to make parts of the gun, and traveled to New York with the gun, silencer, and magazine with "the intent to shoot Brian Thompson." He said he shot Thompson in Manhattan knowing it would place him in fear of death or serious bodily injury. Prosecutors then spoke in court, reviewing the evidence against Mangione. They pointed to video capturing the shooting, as well as Mangione fleeing the scene on the bicycle, his arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania, the recovered pistol and shell casings, as well as DNA found at the crime scene. Prosecutors said entries in Mangione's notebook expressed his desire to kill a health care executive. "Mr. Mangione, how do you now plead to counts one and two of the indictment," the judge asked. "Guilty," Mangione said. "I will accept your guilty plea," the judge said. About the chargesMangione initially faced four federal charges in Thompson's killing. Two of those charges against him, one of which brought the possibility of the death penalty — murder through use of a firearm and an additional firearms charge — were dismissed earlier this year, and federal prosecutors said they would not appeal that decision.That left federal stalking charges against him, which brought the possibility of life in prison without the possibility of parole.Jury selection in the federal case had been set to begin in January. Speculation about a possible plea deal had been rampant since Tuesday, when prosecutors and Mangione's defense team sent a letter to the court requesting a Friday conference regarding the federal case.What the federal plea deal means for Luigi Mangione's state trialThe plea deal will put an end to the federal trial and raises questions about Mangione's state trial, which is set to begin in September.The state case, in which he faces second-degree murder charges, among others, also carries with it the possibility of life in prison.The plea deal, however, may revive a double jeopardy argument, CBS News legal contributor Caroline Polisi said on "CBS Mornings" Thursday.Double jeopardy refers to a law stating "a person may not be twice prosecuted for the same offense," although there are a number of exceptions. "Luigi Mangione's defense team had made that argument in the state case prior, and this could revive it, because if you actually have a conviction on the federal case, it's a more robust double jeopardy protection in the New York state case. So we could see a motion there that could kick this state case back," Polisi said.Legal expert Rich Schoenstein, however, said he thinks the double jeopardy argument is "open and complicated and subject to debate." Schoenstein said that's because the federal charges Mangione is pleading guilty to are related to interstate matters and stalking, which are quite different than the second-degree murder, weapons and forged instrument charges he's facing on a state level. "So the weapons and forged instrument charges would not be resolved by the federal plea, and arguably the intentional killing charge would not be resolved. I do think there's a serious question as to whether this would be double jeopardy," Schoenstein said.The plea deal, however, may "put some pressure" on New York prosecutors to reach a deal too, "and therefore it could resolve the case on a negotiated level." Evidence in the Luigi Mangione caseKey evidence seized during Mangione's Pennsylvania arrest had been expected to be admitted in the federal trial, including a 3D-printed handgun, loaded magazine, a notebook and more.Thompson, 50, was killed on Dec. 4, 2024, as he arrived at a hotel for UnitedHealth Group's annual investor conference. The killing  of the husband and father of two was caught on surveillance video, which showed Thompson being shot in the back as he walked down the street. Police say the words "delay," "deny" and "depose" were written on the ammunition, echoing a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.Thompson's killing set off a frantic multistate manhunt that ended with Mangione's arrest at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days later.This is a developing story. Check back soon for more information. 
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