ATLANTA– A special prosecutor has been appointed to investigate whether Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones should face criminal charges over efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election.
The Georgia Board of Attorneys announced Thursday that its executive director, Pete Skandalakis, will handle the case after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was barred from prosecuting Jones as part of her election interference case against former President Donald Trump and others .
Jones was one of 16 state Republicans who signed a certificate saying Trump had won Georgia and declared themselves among the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors, even though Democrat Joe Biden had been declared the winner in the state. As a senator in the wake of the election, he also sought a special session of the Georgia legislature aimed at overturning Biden’s narrow victory in the state.
While Willis investigated possible illegal election interference by Trump and others, Jones argued that Willis should not press charges against him because she hosted a fundraiser for his Democratic opponent in the lieutenant governor’s race. Supreme Court Justice Robert McBurney ruled in July 2022 that Willis’ actions created a “real and untenable” conflict of interest.
McBurney’s ruling left it up to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council, an impartial government agency that supports district attorneys, to appoint a prosecutor to decide whether Jones should be charged. Immediately after Trump and the others were indicted, Skandalakis said he would begin looking for a suitable prosecutor. But instead he decided to appoint himself.
The statement announcing Skandalakis’ appointment cited state rules and said “no further comment will be made at this time.”
Jones has previously denied wrongdoing, saying he and other voters acted on the advice of lawyers to preserve Trump’s chances if the former president won a lawsuit that was pending at the time. Three others who signed the Republican certificate of election were among those indicted along with Trump by a Fulton County grand jury in August.
In a statement Thursday, Jones welcomed the news of Skandalakis’ appointment.
“I am happy to see this process moving forward and look forward to the opportunity to put this charade behind me,” Jones said. “Fani Willis has ridiculed this legal process, as she often does. I look forward to a speedy resolution and moving forward with the affairs of the state of Georgia.”
Trump and the 18 others charged in August were accused of participating in a vast scheme to illegally attempt to overturn Trump’s loss in Georgia. Four people have pleaded guilty after reaching deals with prosecutors. The others, including the former president, have pleaded not guilty. No trial date has been set.
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Associated Press writer Jeff Amy in Atlanta contributed reporting.