New attorney general takes over Georgia election case against Trump and others

ATLANTA (AP) — The longtime prosecutor has announced he will take over the Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and others, after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was removed from the case and no one else wanted the job.

Georgia’s nonpartisan Board of Attorneys General was tasked with replacing Willis after she was disqualified for “appearing impropriety” stemming from a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she chose to lead the case. The organization’s executive director, Pete Skandalakis, said Friday that he would take up the case himself.

“Several prosecutors were contacted, and although they were all respectful and professional, each declined the appointment,” Skandalakis said in an emailed statement.

Read more: Voters cast their opinions on the presidential and Fulton County district attorney races in Tuesday’s primaries

Legal action against Trump is unlikely to continue during his presidency. However, 14 other defendants are still facing charges, including former New York mayor and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani as well as former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

Trump earlier this week announced pardons for people accused of supporting his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election — including defendants in Georgia — but Skandalakis said that had no impact on those state charges.

How Skandalakis ended up in the case

After the Georgia Supreme Court declined in September to hear Willis’s appeal of her disqualification, it became the responsibility of the District Attorney’s Council to find a new prosecutor. Skandalakis could continue to follow Willis’ vision for the prosecution, decide to pursue only some charges or dismiss the case altogether.

He said he could have let the deadline pass or told the court there was no prosecutor, which would have resulted in the case being dismissed, but decided that was not the “correct course of action.”

“The public has a legitimate interest in the outcome of this case,” he wrote. “Accordingly, it is important that someone makes an informed and transparent decision about the best way forward.”

Willis’ office turned over 101 boxes of documents on Oct. 29 and an 8-terabyte hard drive containing the full investigation file on Nov. 6, Skandalakis said. Although he did not complete his review, he took over the case so that he could finish evaluating it and decide what to do next.

Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead attorney in Georgia, said he was confident that a “fair and impartial review” would result in the case against his client being dismissed.

“This politically charged trial must end,” he said in an email.

Allen Stockton, Giuliani’s lawyer, called Skandalakis’ decision an “interesting development,” but added: “All I know about Mr. Skandalakis is that he is a fair and honorable man free of any political agenda.”

A spokesman for Willis declined to comment, and the matter has been referred to the District Attorney’s Council.

Skandalakis, who has led the small, nonpartisan board since 2018, said in his filing that he would not receive additional pay for the case, with Fulton County reimbursing the expense. He previously spent about 25 years as the Republican-elected district attorney for the Judicial Circuit in Coweta, southwest of Atlanta.

“I doubt anything will move forward with the president,” said Anthony Michael Kress, a law professor at Georgia State University, noting that Skandalakis’ appointment is temporary and charges against Trump cannot be pursued while he is in office.

As for the president’s other defendants, Chris said the council’s resources are scarce, which “may lead to simplification of the case or plea deals.”

How did the Willis case unfold?

Willis announced the sprawling indictment against Trump and 18 others in August 2023, using the state’s anti-racketeering law to allege a widespread conspiracy to illegally overturn Trump’s narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden in Georgia.

Defense attorneys sought to have Willis dismissed after one revealed in January 2024 that Willis had a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she hired to lead the case. Defense attorneys alleged a conflict of interest and said Willis benefited from the case when Wade used his earnings to pay for vacations the couple took.

During an unusual hearing the following month, Willis and Wade testified about the intimate details of their relationship, saying that the romance did not begin until after Wade was hired and that they split the costs of vacations and other outings.

Judge Scott McAfee rebuked Willis for a “massive lapse in judgment,” but found no conflict of interest and ruled that she could remain on the case if Wade resigned, which he did hours later.

Defense attorneys appealed, and the Georgia Court of Appeals removed Willis from the case in December 2024, citing “an appearance of irregularities.” The state Supreme Court declined to hear Willis’ appeal.

Skandalakis’ previous role in the case against Trump

This is not the first time Skandalakis has been involved in this case. Even before Willis received an indictment, a judge barred her from seeking criminal charges against Georgia Gov. Bert Jones, one of 16 Republicans in the state who signed a certification that Trump won Georgia and declared themselves “duly elected and qualified” electors in the state.

Jones, a state senator, sought in the aftermath of the election to convene a special legislative session to overturn Biden’s win.

During Willis’ investigation, Jones alleged she had a conflict of interest because she hosted a fundraiser for his Democratic opponent in the lieutenant governor’s race. Judge Robert McBurney ruled in July 2022 that Willis’ actions created an “actual and indefensible” conflict of interest.

Skandalakis appointed himself to handle that case as well and ultimately chose not to pursue charges against Jones.