New prosecutor takes on the Georgia
election case against Trump and others
[November 15, 2025]
By KATE BRUMBACK
ATLANTA (AP) — A longtime prosecutor 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.
The nonpartisan Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia was tasked
with replacing Willis after she was disqualified over an “appearance of
impropriety” created by a romantic relationship with the special
prosecutor she’d chosen to lead the case. The organization’s executive
director, Pete Skandalakis, said Friday that he would take the case on
himself.
“Several prosecutors were contacted and, while all were respectful and
professional, each declined the appointment,” Skandalakis said in an
emailed statement.
Legal action against Trump is unlikely to proceed while he is president.
However, 14 other defendants still face charges, among them former New
York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani as well as former White
House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Trump earlier this week announced pardons for people accused of backing
his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election — including those
charged in Georgia — but Skandalakis has said that has no bearing on
these state charges.
How Skandalakis ended up with the case
After the Georgia Supreme Court in September declined to hear Willis’
appeal of her disqualification, it fell to the Prosecuting Attorneys’
Council to find a new prosecutor. Skandalakis can 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 no
prosecutor was available, which would have led to the case's dismissal,
but he decided that wasn't “the right course of action.”
“The public has a legitimate interest in the outcome of this case,” he
wrote. “Accordingly, it is important that someone make an informed and
transparent determination about how best to proceed.”
Skandalakis said Willis' office delivered 101 boxes of documents on Oct.
29 and an eight-terabyte hard drive with the full investigative file on
Nov. 6. Although he hasn't completed his review, he took on the case so
he can finish assessing it and decide what to do next.
Steve Sadow, Trump's lead attorney in Georgia, said he is confident that
“fair and impartial review” will lead to a dismissal of the case against
his client.
“This politically charged prosecution has to come to an end,” he said in
an email.
Allyn Stockton, an attorney for Giuliani, called Skandalakis’ decision
an “interesting twist,” but added, “everything I know about Mr.
Skandalakis is that he is a fair minded and honorable man who is void of
any political agenda.”
A spokesperson for Willis declined to comment, deferring to the
Prosecuting Attorneys' Council.
Skandalakis, who has led the small, nonpartisan council since 2018, said
in his filing that he will get no extra pay for the case, with Fulton
County reimbursing expenses. He previously spent about 25 years as the
elected Republican district attorney for the Coweta Judicial Circuit,
southwest of Atlanta.
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Fani Willis, district attorney of Fulton County, speaks during an
interview, Oct. 22, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson,
File)
“I doubt anything will ever move forward with the president,”
Georgia State University law professor Anthony Michael Kreis said,
noting that Skandalakis' appointment is temporary and charges can't
proceed against Trump while he's in office.
As for the president's co-defendants, Kreis said the council's
resources are scarce, which “may lead to a simplification of the
case or plea deals."
How the case unraveled for Willis
Willis announced the sprawling indictment against Trump and 18
others in August 2023, using the state’s anti-racketeering law to
allege a wide-ranging conspiracy to illegally overturn Trump’s
narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden in Georgia.
Defense attorneys sought Willis’ removal after one revealed in
January 2024 that Willis had a romantic relationship with Nathan
Wade, the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case. The
defense attorneys alleged a conflict of interest and said Willis
profited from the case when Wade used his earnings to pay for
vacations the pair took.
During an extraordinary hearing the next month, Willis and Wade
testified about their relationship's intimate details, saying the
romance didn’t begin until after Wade was hired and that they split
the costs for vacations and other outings.
Judge Scott McAfee rebuked Willis for a “tremendous lapse in
judgment” but found no disqualifying conflict of interest, ruling
she could stay 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
impropriety.” The state Supreme Court declined to hear Willis’
appeal.
Skandalakis' earlier role in the case against Trump
This is not the first time Skandalakis has been involved in this
case. Even before Willis obtained an indictment, a judge barred her
from seeking criminal charges against Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones,
one of 16 state Republicans who signed a certificate that Trump had
won Georgia and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and
qualified” electors.
A state senator in the wake of the election, Jones also sought a
special legislative session to overturn Biden’s win.
As Willis investigated, Jones argued 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 untenable” conflict of
interest.
Skandalakis appointed himself to handle that issue as well and
ultimately chose not to pursue charges against Jones.
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