The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show: “David Rutherford Show: Election Bombshell in Georgia” with Garland Favorito (Jan 30, 2026)
Episode Overview
In this high-stakes episode, David Rutherford sits down with Garland Favorito, a key figure in Georgia’s ongoing 2020 election investigation and founder of VoterGA. The show delves into the recent FBI raid on the Fulton County warehouse containing 700+ boxes of 2020 ballots, unpacks six years’ worth of election integrity activism, and explores the broader implications of corruption, legal obstacles, and media complicity. Favorito’s insights provide a comprehensive critique of Georgia’s election systems and a call to action for reform ahead of 2026 elections.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
FBI Raid & Election Integrity Crisis ([02:50]–[05:23])
- Main Event: The FBI conducted a criminal investigation and raid on Fulton County’s main ballot storage, confiscating key ballot materials for review in Virginia.
- Exclusion of Key Officials: High-ranking state election and Republican Party officials, including Dr. Janice Johnston (Georgia State Election Board) and Sally Grubbs (Georgia GOP), were barred from observing the raid.
- Favorito: “To exclude election board members is really... that says a lot.” ([05:53])
Evidence of Election Irregularities ([06:04]–[11:55])
- Discovery of Counterfeit Ballots:
- On Nov 14, 2020, “counterfeit” mail-in ballots were detected:
- No folds, toner-printed, different paper, “voted the same way down ballot for dozens in a row.”
- “They just kept on counting. We don’t have any means to resolve counterfeit ballot problems.” ([07:14])
- On Nov 14, 2020, “counterfeit” mail-in ballots were detected:
- Legal Battles:
- Favorito’s team filed a case Dec 23, 2020, securing a protective order on Jan 7, 2021.
- After initial dismissal for lack of standing, the Georgia Supreme Court sided with plaintiffs in Dec 2022, but progress stalled.
- Signature & Chain of Custody Issues:
- Example: Over 315,000 ballots associated with missing/unsigned tabulator tapes, representing “150 some odd tapes missing.” ([09:33])
- DeKalb County: 43,000 ballots with broken chain of custody
- Fulton County: 350,000 ballot images missing duplicates
- 18,325 ballots with no residential address
- Rejection rate for absentee ballots dropped by 90%
- Favorito: “Fulton County, in fact, never did actually do signature verification...and so that allowed tens of thousands more ballots to come in…”
Judicial and Media Obstacles ([13:06]–[17:24])
- Legal System Blockades:
- Many cases thrown out “for standing”; judges avoided hearings for years.
- Favorito: “The judicial system is corrupt beyond any American’s imagination.” ([13:21])
- Outside Funding and Political Influence:
- Discussion of “Soros DAs,” lawfare specialists such as Mark Elias, and national level collusion in “covering up” election issues.
History of Voting Machine Vulnerabilities ([18:27]–[23:33])
- Favorito details his IT background and early warnings about electronic voting vulnerabilities (2000–2002).
- Georgia was among the first states to implement paperless, unverifiable voting despite warnings; court finally ruled the system “constitutionally deficient” in 2019.
Systemic Pushback & Lack of Transparency ([23:33]–[27:47])
- Institutional Resistance:
- Intense court and official resistance to opening ballots or accessing public information, including prohibitive costs and bureaucratic hurdles.
- Collusion Across Party Lines:
- Collusion noted between Republican Secretary of State, Democratic county officials, state AG, and media: “The biggest thing we were up against is the collusion...and the media played right along...” ([25:30])
Complicity and Accountability ([28:46]–[29:24])
- Favorito maps the chain of responsibility from Fulton County up to the Governor, noting local media’s poor coverage and the widespread nature of system failures.
National Significance & Defamation Tactics ([32:53]–[35:57])
- Presence of Tulsi Gabbard & DNI: Her involvement hints at national security or multi-state ramifications. ([33:31])
- Defamation Lawsuits & Silencing: Lawsuits against election critics (including those by Dominion and individual workers) succeeded in silencing dissent.
- Favorito: “[Ruby and Shea] sued and that had some impact...the Fani Willis stuff, all the indictment of her 18 political adversaries...it’s the greatest case of prosecutor misconduct, I think, in American history.” ([34:59])
What Needs to Change in Georgia ([42:29]–[45:03])
- Ten Recommendations: Favorito points to VoterGA’s “Top 10” election integrity recommendations for 2026.
- Most critical: “Get rid of [illegal] voting machines and return to hand-marked paper ballots with publicly recorded hand counts.”
- Cleaning voter rolls, closing ineligible registration loopholes.
- He states that with modestly-sized precincts, hand counts can be completed in “three hours.”
- Progress, But Not Enough: Georgia has made “massive accomplishments” since 2020, but vulnerabilities persist.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Exclusion from the FBI Raid:
“To exclude election board members is really... that says a lot.”
— Garland Favorito ([05:53]) -
On Discovery of Counterfeit Ballots:
“They just kept on counting. We don’t have any means to resolve counterfeit ballot problems.”
— Garland Favorito ([07:14]) -
On Judicial Obstruction:
“The judicial system is corrupt beyond any American’s imagination.”
— Garland Favorito ([13:21]) -
On Systemic Collusion:
“The biggest thing we were up against is the collusion between the Republican Secretary of State and the Democrats in Fulton County. That was huge.”
— Garland Favorito ([25:30]) -
On Ideal Election Reform:
“All you’ve got to do is hand count the ballots in three hours...on under cameras publicly available and that solves the whole problem.”
— Garland Favorito ([44:11])
Significant Timestamps
- [02:50] – Fulton County ballot warehouse raided by FBI
- [05:53] – State election officials blocked from observing raid
- [07:14] – Explanation of discovery of counterfeit ballots
- [09:33] – Discussion of missing/unsigned tabulator tapes and scale of discrepancies
- [13:21] – Favorito claims systemic judicial corruption
- [18:27] – Background on Georgia’s adoption of risky voting machines
- [25:30] – Collusion between Georgia officials and media
- [34:59] – Impact of defamation cases in silencing opposition
- [42:29] – Election integrity recommendations for 2026
- [44:11] – Advocacy for public hand-counted paper ballots
Resources and How to Follow
- VoterGA: voterga.org
- Includes legal case info, pressers, slide decks, and donation info.
Tone: The conversation is urgent, adversarial towards institutional actors, and calls for direct election reform with steady, forceful conviction. Favorito and Rutherford emphasize transparency, grassroots activism, and dogged resistance to what they view as entrenched corruption.
Summary prepared for listeners seeking a thorough understanding of this episode’s revelations and ongoing election integrity controversies in Georgia.