Georgia Election Interference Case Dismissed
– A Georgia judge has dismissed the 2020 election interference case against Donald Trump, bringing an end to the last remaining criminal prosecution of the former president stemming from his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state.
The decision, announced on Wednesday, was made by Peter Skandalakis, who took over the case following the removal of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Skandalakis asked Judge Scott McAfee to dismiss the charges, citing concerns about the complexity of the legal issues and the potential for a lengthy legal battle.
Trump’s lawyer, Steve Sadow, hailed the dismissal as an end to “political persecution” against the president. The dismissal marks the conclusion of all four criminal cases brought against Trump since he left office, with only one resulting in a conviction.
The case had been thrown into turmoil after a Georgia appeals court removed Willis from the prosecution due to a romantic relationship with a special prosecutor, which the court determined created an “appearance of impropriety.” Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, was appointed to oversee the case after Willis’ disqualification and after other state prosecutors declined to take it on.
In a motion to the Fulton County judge, Skandalakis stated he was discontinuing the case “to serve the interests of justice and promote judicial finality.” He emphasized that his decision was not motivated by political considerations, stating, “As a former elected official who ran as both a Democrat and a Republican and now is the executive director of a non-partisan agency, this decision is not guided by a desire to advance an agenda but is based on my beliefs and understanding of the law.”
The case centered on allegations that Trump and his allies illegally attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. Approximately five million votes were cast in the state, with Joe Biden winning by a margin of fewer than 12,000 votes. Trump and his supporters refused to accept the outcome, leading to numerous efforts to challenge the election results.
Skandalakis considered the possibility of severing Trump’s case from those of his co-defendants to expedite a trial, but ultimately concluded that doing so would be “both illogical and unduly burdensome and costly for the State and for Fulton County.” He added that pursuing the case in full could take another five to ten years, a timeframe he deemed unacceptable.
Prior to this development, a Georgia judge had already rejected Trump and his co-defendants’ attempts to dismiss the case based on First Amendment grounds. Judge Scott McAfee ruled that their right to protest did not shield them from the state racketeering charges alleging interference with Georgia’s election results. Trump’s legal team indicated they would continue to evaluate their options regarding the First Amendment challenges.
The dismissal of the Georgia case follows the dropping of federal election interference charges brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith, as well as charges related to the handling of classified documents. This leaves Trump facing fewer legal hurdles as he continues his political activities.
