New Prosecutor Emerges in High-Profile Georgia Election Interference Case
A surprise twist has emerged in the high-profile Georgia election interference case against former US President Donald Trump and others, as a new prosecutor has agreed to take on the case after all. Peter Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia, announced his appointment on Friday, defying earlier indications that the investigation was dead.
Skandalakis, a Republican and veteran prosecutor, said he didn't believe it was in the best interest of justice to let the case be dismissed due to lack of prosecution. The decision comes after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified from the case over an "appearance of impropriety" due to her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Willis had been tasked with leading the investigation, but Judge Scott McAfee set a deadline for authorities to name a new prosecutor or drop the case. Skandalakis will now assume responsibility for the case, which accuses Trump and his co-defendants of conspiring to "unlawfully change the outcome of the election" in 2020.
Trump's lawyer Steven Sadow has expressed confidence that the case will be dismissed due to its alleged political motivation. However, as a local prosecution, Trump has no legal authority over it, unlike his now-dismissed federal cases.
Despite Skandalakis' appointment, it remains unclear how the Georgia case will proceed from here. The new prosecutor did not specifically say whether he would press ahead with the charges against Trump or other defendants, leaving room for potential abandonment of the case.
In a similar vein to last year's fake electors case involving Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Skandalakis has now taken on a high-profile investigation without guaranteeing indictment. He had previously declined to indict Jones in that case after being disqualified from it due to hosting a fundraiser for his rival.
A surprise twist has emerged in the high-profile Georgia election interference case against former US President Donald Trump and others, as a new prosecutor has agreed to take on the case after all. Peter Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia, announced his appointment on Friday, defying earlier indications that the investigation was dead.
Skandalakis, a Republican and veteran prosecutor, said he didn't believe it was in the best interest of justice to let the case be dismissed due to lack of prosecution. The decision comes after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified from the case over an "appearance of impropriety" due to her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Willis had been tasked with leading the investigation, but Judge Scott McAfee set a deadline for authorities to name a new prosecutor or drop the case. Skandalakis will now assume responsibility for the case, which accuses Trump and his co-defendants of conspiring to "unlawfully change the outcome of the election" in 2020.
Trump's lawyer Steven Sadow has expressed confidence that the case will be dismissed due to its alleged political motivation. However, as a local prosecution, Trump has no legal authority over it, unlike his now-dismissed federal cases.
Despite Skandalakis' appointment, it remains unclear how the Georgia case will proceed from here. The new prosecutor did not specifically say whether he would press ahead with the charges against Trump or other defendants, leaving room for potential abandonment of the case.
In a similar vein to last year's fake electors case involving Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Skandalakis has now taken on a high-profile investigation without guaranteeing indictment. He had previously declined to indict Jones in that case after being disqualified from it due to hosting a fundraiser for his rival.
I'm kinda surprised this new prosecutor is taking on the case. Like, what changed? Did someone else step down or something? It's gonna be interesting to see how this plays out now 
. Trump's lawyer is still trying to spin it as a partisan thing, but I don't think that'll hold up in court 
. What's weird is that Skandalakis isn't even confirming if he'll go ahead with the charges or not 
. Guess we'll just have to wait and see how this one plays out 
what's the deal with these prosecutors and their drama? Like, can't they just get on with it? Peter Skandalakis, the new prosecutor, is like "I'm gonna take this thing to court" and I'm over here thinking "ok cool, let's see how this goes". The fact that Fulton County DA Fani Willis was disqualified due to her romantic relationship with Nathan Wade... girl, get a grip 
. Skandalakis is a Republican, so I guess that's gonna play into this whole thing. Trump's lawyer thinks it's all political, but I'm like "no way, Jose" 
so some new prosecutor Peter Skandalakis is taking on the Georgia election interference case? that's wild considering Fani Willis was disqualified due to her personal life 
anyway, i think this is a good thing for justice? i mean, let's not jump to conclusions about Trump's guilt or whatever just yet but having a fresh set of eyes might actually make a difference 
... I mean, who would have thought that a new prosecutor would just step in and take on the case? It's like a game of musical chairs, but with prosecutors 
. The fact that Skandalakis was willing to take it on despite all the drama around Fani Willis being disqualified is impressive, though. I'm not sure if Trump's lawyers are getting their hopes up or what... the case could still go either way, right? 
. Anyway, only time will tell how this whole thing plays out 
.
i mean i'm glad someone is taking this seriously but like who is this new prosecutor and how did he end up on the job? 
anyway so now we gotta wait and see if he'll actually press charges against trump and his crew 
i'm still not really sure what's going on with all these investigations and cases... can someone explain it to me? 
he's doing it, even though there were some doubts about whether he'd actually prosecute or just give up on the whole thing... 
. One thing's for sure, though: this whole thing is still super confusing 
that's just awkward and also kinda shady.
... wonder how this'll play out in court 
i had it at this food truck in atlanta last week and it was LIFE.CHANGING.
. And another thing, why is this guy, who's clearly pro-Trump himself, taking on a case that seems like it was already doomed from the start? 
hope he'll actually bring some justice to these ppl 
btw, doesn't seem right that a romantic relationship was all it took for Fani Willis to get disqualified from the case 