In Atlanta, a seasoned prosecutor has stepped forward to take charge of the Georgia election interference case involving President Donald Trump and others. This development follows the removal of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the case. Her disqualification stemmed from a perceived “appearance of impropriety” due to her romantic involvement with the special prosecutor she had appointed to lead the investigation.

The responsibility of appointing a new lead for the high-profile case fell to the nonpartisan Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia. After a thorough search, the council’s executive director, Pete Skandalakis, announced on Friday that he would personally assume the role. Skandalakis shared in an emailed statement that although several prosecutors were approached, none accepted the appointment, despite their professional and respectful responses.

While legal proceedings against Trump himself are unlikely to proceed during his presidency, charges remain for 14 other individuals. Notable among these defendants are former New York City Mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, along with Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff.

Earlier in the week, Trump declared pardons for individuals accused of supporting his efforts to challenge the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, including those facing charges in Georgia. However, Skandalakis emphasized that these pardons have no influence over the state-level charges, which remain active against the other defendants.

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.

Skandalakis 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.

A spokesperson for Willis declined to comment, deferring to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council.

Skandalakis has led the council, which supports prosecutors statewide, since January 2018. He previously spent about 25 years as the elected Republican district attorney for the Coweta Judicial Circuit, southwest of Atlanta.

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.