The chief investigator from Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office filed a sworn statement in federal court claiming that video presented last week at a state Senate meeting does not show voter fraud, as was alleged by President Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani.
The video contains footage from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, where votes were counted on election night. According to Giuliani, it showed workers counting ballots that had been brought in and hidden under a table until after poll watchers had left. Chief investigator Frances Watson disputed this, claiming that, according to his findings, this did not take place.
“Our investigation and review of the entire security footage revealed that there were no mystery ballots that were brought in from an unknown location and hidden under tables as has been reported by some,” Watson said in an affidavit.
Watson said his probe began after people complained on Election Day that Fulton County staff told clerks, media, and public observers to leave the arena due to a water leak, while vote counters kept tallying ballots.
The leak turned out to be a urinal that overflowed earlier that day, Watson said. He claimed that, according to his investigation, which included viewing footage and interviewing witnesses, no one asked media or observers to leave.
“They simply left on their own when they saw one group of workers, whose job was only to open envelopes and who had completed that task, also leave,” Watson said.
Watson also stated that the table under which ballots had allegedly been hidden did not have anything underneath it when it was set up the morning of November 3. He said that at approximately 10 p.m. that night, ballots that had been opened but not counted were sealed in boxes that were placed under the table while observers and media were present.
“This was done because employees thought that they were done for the night and were closing up and ready to leave,” Watson said, adding that “the counting continued into later in the night,” and that the boxes were then opened so those ballots could be counted.
Fox News reached out to a representative of Giuliani for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Watson’s affidavit does not address why workers thought the counting was done or why it later continued. It also does not dispute the allegation that counting took place after observers and media left. He does note that “[t]he investigation remains open” and that investigators are continuing to look into the incident.