By Jan Wolfe
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A state prosecutor on Friday said he was taking control of a sprawling criminal case in Georgia accusing U.S. President Donald Trump and several allies of election interference, a move that prolongs the high-profile prosecution but does not fully resolve uncertainty about its future.
Peter Skandalakis, director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, said in a statement that he had appointed himself as the prosecutor in the case, which accuses Trump and several co-defendants of unlawfully conspiring to subvert former President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win in Georgia. They have pleaded not guilty, and on Friday, Trump lawyer Steve Sadow said he remains confident that “a fair and impartial review will lead to a dismissal of the case.”
The move allows the 2023 case to live on following an appeals court ruling that disqualified the prosecutor who initially brought the case, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, an elected Democrat in Atlanta.
OTHER PROSECUTORS DECLINE APPOINTMENT
Skandalakis said he appointed himself after being unable to find another prosecutor willing to take over the case.
“Several prosecutors were contacted and, while all were respectful and professional, each declined the appointment,” he said in a statement. “Out of respect for their privacy and professional discretion, I will not identify those prosecutors or disclose their reasons for declining.”
The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia is a government agency that supports the state’s local prosecutors.
As head of the agency, Skandalakis was required by law to identify a replacement for Willis. An appeals court ruled last year that Willis had created an “appearance of impropriety” by having a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case.
Skandalakis’ announcement came the day of a judge-imposed deadline for him to pick a replacement prosecutor.
Skandalakis has the authority to dismiss the indictment, and there is precedent for such a decision. Last year, Skandalakis concluded that charges should not be brought against Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, a Republican investigated by Willis, over his efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 election defeat in Georgia.
(Reporting by Jan WolfeEditing by Rod Nickel)
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