Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis urgently called for someone to step up and address the complications arising from her removal from the high-profile 2020 election RICO case involving former President Donald Trump and his associates. As the clock ticked down, a new prosecutor emerged unexpectedly, offering a glimmer of hope for resolution.

Just hours before the deadline set by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, Peter Skandalakis, the Executive Director of Georgia’s Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council, took on the role of “District Attorney Pro Tempore.” This move came as a response to the judge’s demand for a new prosecutor to take the reins of the case.

Anna Bower from Lawfare quickly highlighted Skandalakis’ announcement, where he revealed that numerous prosecutors had declined involvement in the controversial RICO case. This case also involves individuals recently pardoned by federal authorities, such as Mike Roman, David Shafer, Robert Cheeley, Mark Meadows, Cathleen Latham, Rudy Giuliani, Jeffrey Clark, and Harrison Floyd.

Skandalakis explained, “The decision to appoint myself reflects the challenges in finding a suitable conflict prosecutor willing to take on this case. Despite reaching out to several potential candidates, all respectfully declined.” He added that, in consideration of their privacy and professional discretion, he would not disclose the identities or reasons of those who turned down the offer.

Ultimately, Skandalakis took on the role after careful deliberation, deciding it was necessary to prevent the deadline from passing unheeded and to avoid informing Judge McAfee that no suitable prosecutor could be found.

That, he added, would have meant the dismissal of the case for “want of prosecution.”

Does this mean that the case will move forward? Skandalakis’ own words and past actions suggest that is no given — a far cry from the act of “courage” and “justice” Willis, a Democrat, called for on Thursday in a WSB-TV interview.

According to the Georgia Recorder, Skandalakis additionally said that he intends to undertake and “complete a comprehensive review and make an informed decision regarding how best to proceed.”

Notably, Skandalakis made news just over a year ago when, in a special prosecutor capacity, he declined to bring fake elector charges against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a Republican, following a “review of the evidence.”

In a comment to Law&Crime, lead Trump defense attorney Steve Sadow expressed confidence that dismissal is on the horizon for his client.

Celebrating the “end” of Willis’ “politically charged prosecution,” Sadow said, “we remain confident that a fair and impartial review will lead to a dismissal of the case against President Trump.”

Willis’ fate was sealed in September, when the Georgia Supreme Court declined to review and reverse her disqualification from the case.

In December 2024, the Georgia Court of Appeals had ruled in a 2-1 decision that Judge McAfee made a mistake when he gave Willis and her handpicked special prosecutor Nathan Wade, with whom she had a romantic relationship, an ultimatum that one or the other had to go due to a “significant appearance of impropriety.”

Rather, the appeals court said, McAfee “erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office” because this was a “rare case” where the “significant appearance of impropriety” alone meant Willis and her office should be “wholly disqualified.”