The long-stalled election interference case against President Donald Trump and co-defendants in Fulton County has taken a new turn. Peter Skandalakis, the head of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, announced today that he will personally replace the disqualified Fulton County District Attorney, Fani Willis, to oversee the high-profile prosecution.
Willis, a Democrat, was officially disqualified late last year over conflicts of interest and exhausted her final appeals in September. Skandalakis, a Republican, was tasked with finding a replacement prosecutor by a deadline set by Judge Scott McAfee, who had threatened to dismiss the case otherwise.
Skandalakis stated that every prosecutor he contacted declined the appointment, leading him to step in himself. “I did not believe that to be the right course of action,” he said, regarding the option of allowing the case to be dismissed. “The public has a legitimate interest in the outcome of this case.”
In his new role, Skandalakis will have the authority to either proceed with the prosecution or drop the case entirely. He plans to conduct a comprehensive review of the materials received from Willis’ team since late October and “make an informed decision regarding how best to proceed,” noting he must “look at the case as if you’re starting from scratch.”
Trump attorney Steve Sadow hailed the move, calling it the “official end” of Willis’ involvement. Sadow expressed confidence that “a fair and impartial review will lead to a dismissal of the case against President Trump.”
Skandalakis has stepped in for Willis previously, including in the investigation of now-Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ alleged role in the 2020 election efforts. After a five-month probe, Skandalakis ultimately decided not to charge Jones, finding he “did not act with criminal intent.”
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