Georgia prosecutor Pete Skandalakis dropped the case Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis brought against President Donald Trump.
“In my professional opinion, the citizens of Georgia are not served by pursuing this case in full for another five to ten years,” the prosecutor wrote, noting that the case needs to conclude in order to “serve the interests of justice and promote judicial finality.”
“The criminal conduct alleged in the Atlanta Judicial Circuit’s prosecution was conceived in Washington, D.C., not the State of Georgia. The federal government is the appropriate venue for this prosecution, not the State of Georgia,” he explained in a 22-page filing. “Indeed, if Special Counsel Jack Smith, with all the resources of the federal government at his disposal, after reviewing the evidence in this case and considering the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. United States, along with the years of litigation such a case would inevitably entail, concluded that prosecution would be fruitless, then I too find that, despite the available evidence, pursuing the prosecution of all those involved in State of Georgia v. Donald Trump, et al. on essentially federal grounds would be equally unproductive.”
The prosecutor noted that he also declined to pursue charges surrounding Republican electors.
“[S]everal of the alleged overt acts in the RICO Count concern public statements made by the Republican Electors,” the filing reads. “These statements regarding the 2020 election, whether addressed to small groups or the broader public, are framed as criminal acts in furtherance of the alleged conspiracy. I have grave concerns that prosecuting individuals for such speech would raise serious constitutional questions. In light of these concerns, and recognizing the limits of the State’s prosecutorial authority, I also decline to pursue these charges.”
President Trump’s defense lawyer, Steve Sadow, said in a statement on the matter, “The political persecution of President Trump by disqualified DA Fani Willis is finally over. This case should never have been brought. A fair and impartial prosecutor has put an end to this lawfare.”
In September, the Georgia Supreme Court rejected Willis’ efforts to prosecute President Trump in the case, upholding a prior ruling. In 2024, the Georgia Appeals Court ruled that Willis was disqualified from prosecuting Trump.
“After carefully considering the trial court’s findings in its order, we conclude that it erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office,” the court filing read. “The remedy crafted by the trial court to prevent an ongoing appearance of impropriety did nothing to address the appearance of impropriety that existed at times when DA Willis was exercising her broad pretrial discretion about who to prosecute and what charges to bring.”
