In brief
In a significant development, a Georgia judge dismissed the case against Donald Trump concerning alleged election interference in the 2020 presidential race. The decision, made by Judge Scott McAfee, comes after new prosecutor Peter Skandalakis requested the dismissal, stating it was to serve the interests of justice. Trump's legal team hailed the ruling as the conclusion of political persecution. This dismissal also applies to co-defendants involved in the case, concluding Trump's four major criminal indictments.
A Georgia judge has dismissed the sprawling 2020 election interference case against Donald Trump, ending the final effort to prosecute the president for allegedly attempting to overturn his loss to Joe Biden.
Peter Skandalakis, who took over the case after the initial prosecutor's removal, asked Judge Scott McAfee to dismiss the charges on Wednesday.
Trump's lawyer Steve Sadow praised the decision to end the political persecution against the president.
The dismissal concludes the last of Trump's four criminal cases, only one of which saw trial and resulted in a conviction.
A Georgia appeals court removed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the case after it determined a romantic relationship with a special prosecutor created an appearance of impropriety.
Skandalakis, executive director of the nonpartisan agency Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia, appointed himself to the case after Willis' disqualification and when other state prosecutors declined to take it. In Wednesday's motion to a Fulton County judge, he said he was discontinuing the case to serve the interests of justice and promote judicial finality.
He added, 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.
Around five million votes for president were cast in Georgia in 2020, with Biden winning the critical swing state by just under 12,000 votes.
Trump and some of his allies refused to accept the result, and the state quickly became a focal point for efforts to overturn the election.
In January 2021, The Washington Post published a recording of Trump speaking with Georgia's Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state, Trump said in the recording.
Willis began investigating Trump's activities soon after the report, convening a special grand jury to weigh the facts.
Willis filed an indictment in August 2023 alleging that Trump conspired with 18 other defendants to interfere in the election result, which included racketeering and other state offences.
The group refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and wilfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.
Four co-defendants took plea deals with prosecutors that resulted mostly in fines, suspended sentences, and community service, including attorneys Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis. Wednesday's dismissal also applies to the remaining co-defendants, including former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows, chief of staff during Trump's first presidency.
Mr. Sadow praised the decision to drop the charges. The political persecution of President Trump by disqualified DA Fani Willis is finally over, he stated. This case should never have been brought. A fair and impartial prosecutor has put an end to this lawfare.
The Georgia election interference case was once considered the most threatening of Trump's four criminal indictments, especially since he could not pardon himself from state-level charges if he returned to office.
Legal experts anticipated the likelihood of dismissal as previous charges had already been tossed out, and with the extensive resources needed for the prosecution, it had become increasingly unlikely to advance with new leadership.
