Here’s what happens if Fulton County DA is disqualified from Trump case
Fani Willis could be disqualified from her indictment of nation’s 45th president.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Related cases of when a district attorney is disqualified from a case show it can take a while for a new one to be assigned.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones was one of 16 Republicans who acted as alleged “fake electors” for former President Donald Trump in Georgia. But a judge disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from building a case against him, citing a “conflict of interest” because she had held a fundraiser for one of his opponents vying for the Lt. Gov. job.
That case was turned over to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia in 2022, and it has yet to assign a special prosecutor. The agency’s head, Pete Skandalakis, said he ruled out some DAs because their staffs were too small or because choosing them could seem partisan.
When asked where the agency is at in the selection process and why it’s taking so long to appoint a special prosecutor, the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia said, “Mr. Skandalakis cannot answer these questions due to pending litigation.”
Council chair Tasha M. Mosley, district attorney for the Clayton Judicial Circuit, said the council asked if she would be interested in taking on the case, but she turned it down because her office doesn’t have the resources.
“I cannot take any more prosecutors off the murder cases we have here,” Mosley said. “So it would require me to hire outside counsel to handle that. And I don’t have the money.”
Augusta District Attorney Jared Williams has stated publicly that he is willing to serve if called upon by the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia. Williams’ office told Atlanta News First that the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council has not reached out to him.
If Willis is indeed disqualified from the case, the council will likely take a long time to find a special prosecutor. It would likely delay any trial until well after the 2024 election.
Atlanta News First and Atlanta News First+ provide you with the latest news, headlines and insights as Georgia continues its role at the forefront of the nation’s political scene. our Atlanta News First app for the latest political news and information.
Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.
