ATLANTA (AP) — A judge says the agency was tasked with finding a prosecutor to take over Georgia. election interference case The anti-government movement against President Donald Trump and others may have a little more time, but not as long as hoped.
The fate of the case remains unclear since Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified from continuing to prosecute the case for “alleged misconduct” stemming from her romantic relationship with a prosecutor she hired.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee said earlier this month that he would dismiss the case unless the Council of Prosecuting Attorneys appoints a new prosecutor or requests a “special extension” within 14 days. But the council’s executive director, Pete Skandalakis, said in a court filing Monday that his office has not yet received the physical case file and does not expect it to take about four weeks to receive. He asked McAfee to reconsider the order or appoint a new prosecutor at least 90 days after receiving the case file.
On Wednesday, Judge McAfee gave Skandalakis less than half the time he requested and set a new deadline of Nov. 14. The judge said he would sign an order forcing Willis’ office to turn over investigative files more quickly if Skandalakis requested it.
Skandalakis said that without the case file, he “cannot intelligently answer the questions of those who are asked to appoint him, nor can he conduct his own due diligence to find a prosecutor who is immune to gross misconduct.” He wrote that finding someone to take over “will take time” because election cases are complex and handling them requires significant resources.
Even if a new prosecutor were appointed, it is unlikely that any prosecution would proceed while Trump is still president. However, 14 people remain indicted in the case, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former New York City mayor and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
If a new prosecutor is appointed, he or she could decide to continue along the path laid out by Willis, pursue only some charges, or dismiss the case entirely.
Mr. Willis announced the indictment. Trump and 18 others In August 2023. she is state Anti-extortion law It alleges a widespread conspiracy to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 Georgia presidential election, which Trump narrowly lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
After it was revealed in January 2024 that she had a romantic relationship with Willis, her defense team asked for her dismissal. Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade She was hired to lead the incident. The defense said the relationship created a conflict of interest, arguing that Willis personally profited from the case when Wade used his income to pay for vacations they took together.
In his March 2024 order, McAfee reprimanded Willis, saying her actions showed “serious lapses in judgment.” But he said he found no conflicts of interest that would disqualify Willis. he was finally dominated Willis could remain on the case if Wade resigns, What the special prosecutor did A few hours later.
The defense team appealed the decision, and the Georgia Court of Appeals appealed. Willis was removed from the case. In December, he was cited for “suspected misconduct.” High Court last month refused to hear Willis’ appeal.placing the case in the lap of the Council of Prosecuting Attorneys.
