The prosecutor who just lately took over the Georgia election interference case towards President Donald Trump and others mentioned in a court docket submitting Wednesday that he has determined to not pursue the case additional.
Pete Skandalakis, the chief director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, took over the case final month from Fulton County District Legal professional Fani Willis, who was eliminated over an “appearance of impropriety” created by a romantic relationship with the particular prosecutor she selected to guide the case.
After Skandalakis’ submitting, Fulton County Superior Courtroom Choose Scott McAfee issued a one-paragraph order dismissing the case in its entirety.
Peter J. Skandalakis solutions questions throughout a information convention in Atlanta in Aug. 2022.
It was unlikely that authorized motion towards Trump might have moved ahead whereas he’s president. However 14 different defendants nonetheless confronted fees, together with former New York mayor and Trump legal professional Rudy Giuliani and former White Home chief of workers Mark Meadows.
Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead legal professional in Georgia, applauded the case’s dismissal: “The political persecution of President Trump by disqualified DA Fani Willis is finally over. This case should never have been brought. A fair and impartial prosecutor has put an end to this lawfare.”
After the Georgia Supreme Courtroom in September declined to listen to Willis’ enchantment of her disqualification, it fell to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council to discover a new prosecutor. Skandalakis mentioned final month that he reached out to a number of prosecutors, however all of them declined to tackle the case. McAfee set a Nov. 14 deadline for the appointment of a brand new prosecutor, so Skandalakis selected to nominate himself reasonably than permit the case to be dismissed instantly.
Fani Willis in Atlanta in Oct. 2024.
He mentioned Willis’ workplace had solely just lately delivered the case file — 101 containers and an eight-terabyte arduous drive — and he hadn’t had an opportunity to evaluate every part but. Citing the general public’s “legitimate interest in the outcome of this case,” he mentioned he needed to evaluate the proof and determine on the suitable subsequent steps.
Skandalakis, who has led the small, nonpartisan council since 2018, mentioned in a court docket submitting final month that he’ll get no further pay for the case however that Fulton County will reimburse bills. He beforehand spent about 25 years because the elected Republican district legal professional for the Coweta Judicial Circuit, southwest of Atlanta.
Willis introduced the sprawling indictment towards Trump and 18 others in August 2023, utilizing the state’s anti-racketeering regulation to allege a wide-ranging conspiracy to illegally overturn Trump’s slim loss to Democrat Joe Biden in Georgia.
Protection attorneys sought Willis’ removing after one revealed in January 2024 that Willis had a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the particular prosecutor she employed to guide the case. The protection attorneys alleged a battle of curiosity and mentioned Willis profited from the case when Wade used his earnings to pay for holidays the pair took.
Throughout a rare listening to the next month, Willis and Wade testified in regards to the intimate particulars of their relationship. They mentioned the romance didn’t start till after Wade was employed and that they cut up the prices for holidays and different outings.
The decide rebuked Willis for a “tremendous lapse in judgment” however discovered no disqualifying battle of curiosity, ruling she might keep on the case if Wade resigned, which he did hours later.
Protection attorneys appealed, and the Georgia Courtroom of Appeals eliminated Willis from the case in December 2024, citing an “appearance of impropriety.” The state Supreme Courtroom declined to listen to Willis’ enchantment.
