ATLANTA — Peter J. Skandalakis, the Executive Director of the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia, appointed himself to continue the prosecution in the Fulton County indictment of President Donald J. Trump on allegations of election interference.
The latest developments and reaction to the decision, LIVE on Channel 2 Action News starting at 4:00 p.m.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was removed from the case in October and Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee set a deadline of Oct. 8 to appoint a prosecutor to take on the case or risk dismissal.
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The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled Willis and her office from the case over her romantic relationship with former special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Skandalakis said in a statement Friday that multiple other prosecutors in Georgia were contacted to take the case on, but each declined, leading to a Nov. 14 deadline extension.
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Now, Skandalakis will take the case on, preventing it from being dismissed, for now.
“With Judge McAfee’s deadline now upon us and my review still ongoing, I have determined that the best course of action is to appoint myself to the case. This will allow me to complete a comprehensive review and make an informed decision regarding how best to proceed,” Skandalakis said in a statement.
The prosecutor said he intends to ensure the case is handled properly, fairly and with full transparency.
Speaking with Channel 2 Action News exclusively on Thursday, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said that she hopes some prosecutor will have the courage to prosecute that case.
“Resources are a challenge for everyone, but I think the greater problem in this case is fear,” Willis said Thursday. “They understand that they will become targets if they choose to prosecute such a case.”
Since the indictment was first filed in Georgia, the president and his allies have repeatedly maintained his innocence and called the prosecution political.
On Friday, McAfee scheduled a pretrial conference meeting for Dec. 1.
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