Maduro Role in 2020 Rolls: FBI raid in Fulton County, Georgia Renews Questions about Venezuela Connections to Dominion
What some dismissed as conspiracy theory now looks a bit harder to ignore. Joshua Philipp, senior investigative reporter for The Epoch Times, and Luis Martinez, political analyst for NTD, are well positioned to examine why President Trump’s decision to move on Nicolás Maduro may have extended beyond drugs and geopolitics—and into unresolved questions about the 2020 U.S. election. While still unknown, that speculation moved closer to reality when the FBI raided the Fulton County election office, seizing ballots and records tied to 2020. In that light, the optics of Maduro’s capture become part of a new dynamic.
Recent developments in Georgia have thrust the 2020 election back into the national spotlight, with the FBI executing a court-authorized search of the Fulton County election office and seizing 2020 ballots, tabulator tapes, ballot images, and voter rolls. To be fair, the indictment against Maduro, unsealed earlier this year (link below), did not include any of this. That neither confirms nor denies that he has provided valuable intelligence since his capture.
Does this have anything to do with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro less than one month earlier? Some may dismiss that, but President Donald Trump shared several Truth Social posts at the time of Maduro’s capture that pointed directly to Maduro’s alleged role in 2020 election fraud inside the U.S. (link below). Now, the raid in Fulton County over the 2020 election, coupled with DNI’s Tulsi Gabbard being on hand creates some extremely interesting optics, not to mention shorter distance between dots.
Federal authorities say the action is part of an investigation into potential election interference and violations related to record preservation and voter fraud statutes, although the explicit link to broad fraud claims remains unclear. The raid highlights how the Trump administration is pursuing long-standing efforts to revisit the 2020 vote, despite extensive audits and legal challenges that have repeatedly upheld the results.
Watch the Trailer for Philipp’s new documentary, Truth Under Fire: The Framing of Charlie Kirk
What if the U.S. military operation in Venezuela wasn’t just about drug interdiction and countering foreign powers like China, Russia, and Iran—but also connected to an emerging narrative around the 2020 U.S. presidential election? The dramatic capture of Nicolás Maduro, conducted at the beginning of January and announced as part of Operation Southern Spear, came amid heightened geopolitical tensions and longstanding concerns about Maduro’s rule. While the administration publicly emphasized combatting narco-trafficking and weakening strategic adversaries, another thread has surfaced that intersects directly with domestic politics.
Intriguingly, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was present at the Georgia operation—a highly unusual role for the head of the U.S. intelligence community in a domestic law-enforcement action. Her presence has sparked bipartisan questions about motives and jurisdiction, with top Democrats demanding an explanation for her involvement in what an intelligence mission is traditionally not.
This convergence of foreign intervention and domestic election scrutiny raises questions about motives, timing, and strategic narratives. Maduro’s regime has been widely accused of election manipulation in Venezuela, with academic analysis showing that despite a clear opposition majority in the 2024 vote, Maduro clung to power through electoral authoritarianism and suppression of results—effectively “stealing” the election according to independent observers. Although the contexts differ, the narrative of contested legitimacy now spans from Caracas to Atlanta.
What remains unclear—and what deserves rigorous investigation—is whether the Maduro capture and U.S. focus on 2020 electoral records are being woven into a broader strategic and political message. Was the Venezuela operation only about countering foreign influence and narcotics trafficking, or is it also being framed implicitly to bolster claims about 2020 election integrity? And if Gabbard’s unusual presence at the Fulton County raid signals a deeper interagency push, what does that mean for election confidence and federal norms? This evolving story blends geopolitics and domestic political conflict in a way that could reshape narratives on both hemispheres.
Relevant Article(s)
FBI Raids Election Office in Georgia; Judge Blocks Access to Oregon Voter Rolls
Trump Revives Venezuela 2020 Election Fraud Claims After Raid On Country
Election deniers think Maduro’s capture will expose plot to steal 2020 vote – Democracy Docket
Kash Patel defends FBI raid as Fulton County officials demand answers
maduro indictment | DocumentCloud
OPTIONAL Q&A:
- What specific allegations exist—if any—regarding Nicolás Maduro’s involvement in efforts to influence or exploit U.S. election systems in 2020, and what evidence would investigators actually be looking for?
- Why has Venezuela’s long history with election manipulation made it a recurring reference point in U.S. election-integrity debates, even when direct proof is disputed?
- How does the FBI’s decision to raid the Fulton County election office change the credibility landscape around claims that were previously dismissed outright?
- What would justify the Director of National Intelligence being physically present during a domestic election-related investigation?
- If this investigation were purely administrative or procedural, what would be the normal federal posture—and how does this situation differ?
- Is it plausible that U.S. intelligence agencies are examining foreign knowledge transfer or methodology rather than direct foreign control of ballots or machines?
- How should journalists distinguish between legitimate counterintelligence concerns and speculation when covering sensitive election issues?
- What questions should Congress and the public now be asking that were not being asked before the Fulton County raid?
ABOUT JOSHUA PHILIPP…
Joshua Philipp is an award-winning journalist and Senior Investigative Reporter at The Epoch Times. He is the host of ‘Crossroads,’ a news and analysis program on EpochTV. His works have included breakthrough investigations into the origins of Covid-19 and the Wuhan laboratory in the early days of the pandemic. He spearheaded the first documentary on the lab leak origins of the COVID-19 virus, released in April 2020. This groundbreaking documentary garnered over 75 million views, and while many tried to label it misinformation, its findings have since been vindicated by the White House and US intelligence agencies.
ABOUT LUIS EDUARDO MARTNEZ…
Experienced Political Analyst with NTD TV and a demonstrated history of working with multilateral organizations, public policy research centers, and the media. Born and raised in Venezuela, Luis specialized in Democratic Theory (particularly studies on Latin American populism) and post-authoritarian transition. Strong multinational education professional with a Master’s Degree focused in International Relations and Democratic Politics from University of Westminster.
Luis Eduardo Martinez (@lemm_power) / X
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