“Several prosecutors were contacted and, while all were respectful and professional, each declined the appointment,” Skandalakis said in an emailed statement.
He said he could have let the deadline pass or told the court no prosecutor was available, which would have led to the case’s dismissal, but he decided that wasn’t “the right course of action.”
“The public has a legitimate interest in the outcome of this case,” he wrote. “Accordingly, it is important that someone make an informed and transparent determination about how best to proceed.”
Skandalakis said Willis’ office delivered 101 boxes of documents on Oct. 29 and an eight-terabyte hard drive with the full investigative file on Nov. 6. Although he hasn’t completed his review, he took on the case so he can finish assessing it and decide what to do next.
Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead attorney in Georgia, said he is confident that “fair and impartial review” will lead to a dismissal of the case against his client.
“This politically charged prosecution has to come to an end,” he said in an email.
Allyn Stockton, an attorney for Giuliani, called Skandalakis’ decision an “interesting twist,” but added, “everything I know about Mr. Skandalakis is that he is a fair minded and honorable man who is void of any political agenda.”
A spokesperson for Willis declined to comment, deferring to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council.
Skandalakis, who has led the small, nonpartisan council since 2018, said in his filing that he will get no extra pay for the case, with Fulton County reimbursing expenses. He previously spent about 25 years as the elected Republican district attorney for the Coweta Judicial Circuit, southwest of Atlanta.
“I doubt anything will ever move forward with the president,” Georgia State University law professor Anthony Michael Kreis said, noting that Skandalakis’ appointment is temporary and charges can’t proceed against Trump while he’s in office.
As for the president’s co-defendants, Kreis said the council’s resources are scarce, which “may lead to a simplification of the case or plea deals.”
A state senator in the wake of the election, Jones also sought a special legislative session to overturn Biden’s win.
As Willis investigated, Jones argued she had a conflict of interest because she hosted a fundraiser for his Democratic opponent in the lieutenant governor’s race. Judge Robert McBurney ruled in July 2022 that Willis’ actions created an “actual and untenable” conflict of interest.
