ATLANTA (AP) — In a significant development, a veteran prosecutor has stepped up to lead the Georgia election interference case involving President Donald Trump and several others. This change in leadership follows the removal of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the case, as other potential candidates declined the position.

The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, a nonpartisan body, was responsible for finding a replacement for Willis after she was disqualified due to concerns over a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she appointed to manage the case. On Friday, the council’s executive director, Pete Skandalakis, announced that he will personally oversee the proceedings.

In a statement sent via email, Skandalakis explained, “We reached out to several prosecutors, all of whom were courteous and professional, but ultimately, each chose not to accept the role.”

While legal actions against Trump are expected to be deferred during his presidency, charges remain active against 14 additional defendants. Notable figures among them include Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor and Trump’s attorney, and Mark Meadows, who served as the White House chief of staff.

In a related move earlier this week, Trump extended pardons to individuals accused of supporting his efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results, including those implicated in Georgia. However, Skandalakis has clarified that these pardons do not influence the state-level charges in this case.

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.

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.