GEOFF BENNETT: Welcome to the "News Hour."

The FBI executed a search warrant at# an election center in Fulton County,## Georgia, today seeking records# related to the 2020 election.

AMNA NAWAZ: Federal agents were seen# entering the office outside of Atlanta## this afternoon.

Baseless claims of# voter fraud in Fulton County have## been a focus of President Trump# since he lost the 2020 election.

Our White House correspondent, Liz Landers, has# been following all of this, and she joins us now.

So, Liz, the search is a remarkable# escalation of the president's unfounded## claims about the 2020 election.# What do we know about what happened?

LIZ LANDERS: The FBI confirming to us this# afternoon that they are conducting what## they say is a court-authorized law enforcement# action at that Fulton County election center.

And just moments before we got on the air,# we obtained the search warrant that they## have there in Georgia.

It was signed today by a# federal judge.

And in it, it gives us some more## information about what the FBI is seeking.# It says they're looking for physical ballots## from the 2020 election, envelopes, provisional# ballots, ballot images and voter rolls, Amna.

So I spoke earlier with David Becker, who's# an elections attorney and former Department of## Justice civil rights attorney, and he said that# the ballots in Fulton County have been counted## many times.

They have been counted three times# actually.

And one of those times was by hand.

So the idea that the FBI may find something# new here is unlikely.

But, as you mentioned,## this remains a fixture for the president.

He# continues to lie about the 2020 election results,## and in particular in Georgia.

Remember he had that# phone call with the secretary of state in 2021,## Brad Raffensperger, where he asked him# to find basically the vote margin that## would push him over the edge to# win the state of Georgia there.

Just last week, the president said in a# speech, people will soon be prosecuted## for what they did in the 2020 election.

Amna,# he talks about this on almost a daily basis.

AMNA NAWAZ: Liz, we're at the beginning of another## election year.

How does what we# saw today play into the larger## preparations for those upcoming midterms?

LIZ LANDERS: That's right.

This comes as the## Trump administration has been requesting voter# information from states.

And the president hints## that he thinks he could use the National# Guard to, in his view, secure elections.

I spoke earlier with two secretaries# of state, Democrat Shenna Bellows of## Maine and Republican Michael Adams of# Kentucky about this raid today and how## they're preparing for elections this year amid# debates over ballot security and voter access.

Welcome to "News Hour."

Thanks# so much for joining us here.

MICHAEL ADAMS (R), Kentucky# Secretary of State: Thank you.

SHENNA BELLOWS (D), Maine .. LIZ LANDERS: Secretary Bellows, I want# to start with you abou.. the day that we're hearing today.

What# is your reaction to this FBI search of## the Fulton County Georgia elections# office?

This is apparently part of a## probe related to the 2020 election.# What do you make of that search?

SHENNA BELLOWS: We're still waiting for more# information, but this is deeply concerning.

The fact that the lies of 2020# have not ended and we're still## relitigating the presidential election# then, these lies are very dangerous.## And I think it's really concerning and# doesn't bode well for 2026 and 2028.

LIZ LANDERS: Secretary Adams, are you concerned# that DOJ could target other states like this?

MICHAEL ADAMS: Well, I think it's# really telling that we have had,## I think, 24 states now in litigation with the DOJ# on our voter rolls, and there's been no FBI raid.

So I don't want to overread into this where# they might be there.

My understanding is,## this is a situation where the state election# board is adverse to the county of Fulton and## has asked the DOJ to intervene.

So that# doesn't mean that it's all fine.

I don't## know more facts than you do about it,# but I don't rush to judgment on it.

LIZ LANDERS: Secretary Bellows, last week# Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter## to Minnesota to the governor there on Saturday# right after that fatal shooting that we saw in## Minneapolis asking the governor to in part turn# over voter rolls to the Department of Justice.

Your state is experiencing right# now a surge in federal immigration## agents.

Has the attorney general sent# a letter like this to you?

And why do## you think the Department of Justice is# gunning so hard to get this information?

SHENNA BELLOWS: So I think it's deeply concerning.

And keep in mind, for your viewers in# Maine, ICE is surging.

They're calling it,## grotesquely, Catch of the Day, which# is just truly gross.

We're in the## bottom quartile in terms of percentage of# immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.

So for them to send a letter on the heels# of the killing of Alex Pretti and demand## Minnesota's voter rolls as a condition for# ICE leaving indicates that ICE's presence## in Minnesota isn't really about immigration at# all.

It's about intimidating election officials.

And we're going to continue to fight to protect# the integrity of American voter information,## because the Constitution places the# states, not the federal government,## not the president, in charge of elections.

LIZ LANDERS: Secretary Adams, I# know that you have provided the## Department of Justice some of the# public voter files right now.

How## are you complying with this and# navigating this as a Republican?

MICHAEL ADAMS: So I think there are# opposite poles here.

One poll is never,## ever cooperate with the administration.

And that's# not the right posture, I don't think, on the law.

The other is just give everything# that they ask for and not run your## traps.

We're doing something more in the# middle, which is that we have our own## data privacy laws in Kentucky.

We have our# own personal privacy laws in Kentucky.

And## any citizen of the United States can# ask for our voter rolls and many do.

And every campaign asks for them.# The state parties asked for them,## and we provide that information.

But when we're# dealing with people's personally identifying## information, their driver's license# number, their Social Security number,## that's in a different field.

We don't give# those to the candidates and the parties.

Candidly, the law is not super clear on# this.

No one -- no DOJ has ever asked## for this before.

So there's no FAQ on my# Web site to tell me what to do on it.

So## it may come down to litigation.

It may# come down to us getting guidance from## the courts to see where the federal# law stops and the state law begins.

SHENNA BELLOWS: And I appreciate# what Secretary Adams is saying,## because I think this is really important.# We're an open book with regards to what we do,## our procedures, our list maintenance.

We provided# that information to the Department of Justice.

Where we draw the line is the sensitive# personal data of every American.

LIZ LANDERS: What are you both doing to reassure# both the public and the Trump administration that## the elections in your states are secure?

Because# we hear the president questioning that frequently.

SHENNA BELLOWS: We see it in# terms of voter turnout.

So,## Maine routinely ranks in the top of the nation# in voter participation.

In 2022, we were## number one.

Minnesota was number two.

In 2024,# Minnesota was number one.

We were number two.

And, in fact, election integrity was on# the ballot in Maine just this past November## with a question about voter I.D.

and absentee# voting; 63 percent of Mainers voted, basically## showing their confidence in our elections by# rejecting any changes to our election laws.

So we do believe our elections are free,# safe and secure.

We have post-election## audits.

We have frequent recounts given how# close, how purple Maine is.

And the voters## tell us that they think our elections are# free, safe and secure because they show up.

MICHAEL ADAMS: Well, at the risk of bragging, I'm# the top vote getter in my state of both parties,## so I think that's a big vote of# confidence in our election process.

But also the Trump administration# has routinely filed briefs and other## pleadings in cases that we have in federal# court, taking our side of the argument on## saying that we don't need to be supervised# by a federal court on our voter rolls,## that they're clean, that they're# up to date, they're accurate.

So I feel like we have to date satisfied both the# public in my state and also the administration.

LIZ LANDERS: Secretary Bellows,# the president recently told The## New York Times that he regretted# not ordering the National Guard## to seize voting machines in swing# states after those 2020 elections.

What would you do as the top elections official in## Maine if he made that request# after the midterms this year?

SHENNA BELLOWS: We would not give him the ballots# or -- and I think this is important, right?

The Constitution places responsibility for the# elections in the people that the people trust,## the people closest to them on the ground,# the local and state election officials.

And## in Maine, we have strict chain of# custody controls over our ballots,## when the ballots are centralized for# recounts or ranked-choice voting.

There are only two people that# have the key.

One of them is me.## And he is not getting our ballots.# He's not getting our voter rolls.

LIZ LANDERS: Is that something# you would comply with?

MICHAEL ADAMS: I would comply with any legal court# order, but I wouldn't just take any order th.. issued to me and let that trump the law of my# own state.

I'd follow the law of my own state.

LIZ LANDERS: Both of you work closely# with local election officials in your## states.

What's the biggest operational# challenges that you're facing right now?

I will start with you, Secretary Bellows.

SHENNA BELLOWS: So we're really challenged# to recruit folks int.. retirement of the Baby Boomers and# also fears about threats because## of misinformation and lies about the election.

So it's a much more challenging environment.# So we're always working hard to recruit new## clerks, to train our folks.

And I think# that's probably the biggest challenge.

MICHAEL ADAMS: So I was elected in 2019.# And before I was even sworn in 2020,## I was called to my legislature and asked,# what's the biggest concern that I had?

And I said having enough poll workers# and enough voting locations.

And that## was before COVID.

It was before# all the stuff that we have seen,## all the crazy elections the last several# years.

And that's an ongoing issue.

To Secretary Bellows' point, our generation# is just not volunteering at the level that## our parents did and grandparents did.# But we also have locations that don't## want to be voting locations anymore.# Schools are nervous about being public## voting locations.

They're worried about# active shooters being able to scope out## buildings and look for ways in and then# come back later when the kids are there.

Churches are getting more -- either more# political or apolitical, but, either way,## they have less comfort with being a voting# location.

So it's getting harder for us to## recruit people to want to be part of# the process and locations as well.

LIZ LANDERS: You two are here in the area# for a conference right now.

Talk about the## relationship between you as secretaries of state.# What is the information-sharing like right now?

MICHAEL ADAMS: We talk every day,# not all 50 of us to each other, but## I'm in lots of calls with these folks.# We have regular calls every Thursday## at 3:00 or what have you.

But we also# have a lot of private conversations.

And one thing that's changed over# time is, when I first got here,## it was really a debating society between those# of us on the right and those of us on the left## about voter I.D.

and other little things.# And then we went through 2020 together.

And## then the misinformation stuff wasn't just# about certain states.

It was all 50 of us## dealing with the same threats on our person, the# same threats to the system, the same concerns.

We really kind of bonded over that,# because we're all fighting the same battle.

SHENNA BELLOWS: I think that's right.

And I think, on election security i.. back in 2023 and 2024, I was threatened and# doxxed and swatted.

And when I came to the## NAAS (ph) conference, my Republican colleagues# were giving me hugs and praying for me.

I do think that there is a lot of bipartisan# conversation and dialogue.

We are not going## to agree on certain policies.

But I think this# is something that the American people can have## confidence in.

It doesn't matter what state# you are in, whether it's Maine or Kentucky.

We may not agree on certain voting# rights policies, but in terms of the## integrity of election administration,# in terms of the checks and balances,## and the state and local control of the elections,# that's something that I think we all really value.

And I think it's really important today.

LIZ LANDERS: Secretary Bellows, Secretary# Adams, thank you so much for joining us.

MICHAEL ADAMS: Thank you.

SHENNA BELLOWS: Thank you.