What seemed like the end of the election subversion case against President Donald Trump just got some oxygen added to its flame. Hours before the court deadline to find a replacement head prosecutor — after the former Fulton County District Attorney, Fani Willis, was disqualified for misconduct — a veteran prosecutor was appointed.
Peter Skandalakis, director of the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council of Georgia, assigned himself to the case after being unable to find a replacement for Willis.
“This morning, an Administrative Order appointing me to the case of State of Georgia v. Donald J. Trump, et al. was filed with the Clerk of the Superior Court of Fulton County,” Skandalakis said in a press release. “The filing of this appointment reflects my inability to secure another conflict prosecutor to assume responsibility for this case.”
He said that he couldn’t allow the case to be dismissed because the American people have a “legitimate interest” in its outcome.
“Since receiving these materials, I have diligently worked to familiarize myself with the record and the status of the proceedings,” his statement said. “Additionally, I have attempted to review the evidence gathered and the hours of interviews and proffers of witnesses and former codefendants. ... My only objective is to ensure that this case is handled properly, fairly, and with full transparency discharging my duties without fear, favor, or affection.”
Last December, Willis was removed from her role by a Georgia appeals court after she was accused of having inappropriate relations with an attorney she hired on to the case. Though she fought to stay on, the Georgia Supreme Court declined to take the case, thus dismissing her.
In 2023, Willis brought 41 charges against the president and 18 others, connected to election fraud. Earlier this week, Trump granted presidential pardons to a number of defendants in the case, including Mark Meadows, Trump’s chief of staff in 2020, U.S. attorney and former prosecutor Sidney Powell, and attorney John Eastman.
Steve Sadaw, Trump’s lead attorney in the Georgia case, posted on X on Friday, “This politically charged prosecution has to come to an end.”
He continued, “We remain confident that a fair and impartial review will lead to a dismissal of the case against President Trump.”
A pretrial conference has been set by Judge Scott McAfee for Dec. 1, according to CNN. “The State should be prepared to announce whether it intends to seek a superseding indictment,” the judge wrote.