(The Center Square) — The head of the state prosecutor’s council or “his designee” will act as a stand-in district attorney in Fulton County for a case involving Lt. Governor Burt Jones.
Peter J. Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, or his designee, will act as the Atlanta Judicial Circuit’s district attorney pro tempore in the place of District Attorney Fani Willis. Under state law, the council can appoint a prosecutor if a local district attorney is barred from prosecuting a case.
“In accordance with State Bar Rule 3.8 Special Responsibilities of a Prosecutor and pending litigation, no further comments will be made at this time,” the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia said in a brief Thursday statement.
Jones, a Republican, was allegedly one of 16 “alternate” or “fake” electors set to cast Georgia’s electoral votes for former President Donald Trump instead of President Joe Biden following the 2020 election. Jones was a state senator at the time of the 2020 election, and according to WAGA-TV, Jones was “Unindicted Co-Conspirator Individual Number 8” in the Trump indictment.
Willis has brought charges against Trump and others on allegations they sought to interfere with the outcome of the 2020 election in Georgia. However, her involvement has not been without controversy.
Last month, a judge ruled Willis could stay on the Trump case if she accepted the resignation of her lead investigator, saying one of them had to step aside following allegations of an inappropriate relationship. Trump has appealed the ruling.
Additionally, in 2022, a judge blocked Willis from investigating Jones, saying she had a conflict of interest since she held a fundraiser for an opponent of the lieutenant governor.
“I’m happy to see this process move forward and look forward to the opportunity to get this charade behind me,” Jones said in a statement. “Fani Willis has made a mockery of this legal process, as she tends to do. I look forward to a quick resolution and moving forward with the business of the state of Georgia.”
By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor
