The man tasked with finding a replacement for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) on the Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump was forced to appoint himself as special prosecutor, citing an “inability” to find anyone else to accept the job.
Georgia’s Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council (PAC) executive director, Peter Skandalakis, announced that he would take over the case on Friday, which was the deadline for the council to either pick a new prosecutor or potentially see the case be dismissed, the Hill reported.
“Several prosecutors were contacted and, while all were respectful and professional, each declined the appointment,” Skandalakis said in a statement obtained by the outlet. “Out of respect for their privacy and professional discretion, I will not identify those prosecutors or disclose their reasons for declining.”
Acknowledging that it “would have been simple” to just allow the deadline to pass since no one wanted to prosecute the case, he said he did “not believe that was the right course of action.”
“My only objective is to ensure that this case is handled properly, fairly, and with full transparency discharging my duties without fear, favor, or affection,” he stated.
As Breitbart News reported last December, the Georgia Court of Appeals removed Willis from the case after it was discovered that she had improperly brought her lover, Nathan Wade, onto the case as a special prosecutor.
In its ruling, the appellate court overturned a lower court’s decision that allowed Willis to continue prosecuting the case if Wade was no longer on it.
In September of this year, the Georgia Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal to get back on the case.
Skandalakis has already been involved with the case, having similarly appointed himself when Willis was disqualified from charging Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R) for holding a fundraiser for his Democrat opponent in his reelection campaign.
Skandalakis ultimately decided not to bring charges against Jones, who ended up winning his race.
Steve Sadow, Trump’s lawyer, said the “politically charged” prosecution must “come to an end” in a statement to the Hill.
“We remain confident that a fair and impartial review will lead to a dismissal of the case against President Trump,” he added.
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
