A new prosecutor has been selected to take over the Fulton County, Georgia, election interference case against President Donald Trump and others after the disqualification of District Attorney Fani Willis.
In a statement Friday, the head of the agency tasked with finding the replacement said he had chosen someone new: himself.
Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Georgia Prosecutors Council, said he chose to take on the case himself after he was “unable” to find anyone else to take the job.
“Several prosecutors were contacted and, while all were respectful and professional, each declined the appointment,” he said in a statement. “The decision to take responsibility for this matter was made only after careful and deliberate consideration.”
Trump and 18 others pleaded not guilty in August 2023 to all charges in a broad racketeering indictment for alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia.
The charges, which were filed following Trump’s Jan. 2, 2021, phone call in which he asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” the votes necessary to win the state, they allege that the defendants solicited state leaders across the country, harassed and deceived a Georgia poll worker, and pushed false claims that the election was stolen, all in an effort to keep Trump in power despite his election loss.
The selection of a new prosecutor fell to the bar council after the Georgia Supreme Court declined to take over in September. Willis’ appeal of his removal from the case because of his relationship with one of the prosecutors on the case.
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Nov. 7, 2025, in Washington.
Evan Vucci/AP
Skandalakis faced a Nov. 14 deadline to appoint someone new or the case would face dismissal, according to an order from Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee. Skandalakis said he did not believe McAfee dismissing the case due to missed deadlines was “the right course of action.”
Skandalakis wrote in his statement that he had “not had enough time” to complete a review of the case file, saying he received 101 boxes of documents from the district attorney’s office in late October, and an 8-terabyte hard drive of the case file just last week. He said that by appointing himself to the case he will be able to “complete a thorough review and make an informed decision on the best way to proceed” with the case, whose future is still up in the air.
“My only goal is to ensure that this case is handled appropriately, fairly and with complete transparency, carrying out my duties without fear, favor or affection,” Skandalakis said.
Trump issued a broad pardon this week to all defendants in the Georgia election case and all other cases involving alleged “fake elector” plots in 2020, although the act was largely symbolic since Trump does not have the ability to pardon state charges.
