Nationwide — The high-profile election interference case that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, an African American prosecutor who originally brought against President Trump and several co-defendants has now been formally dismissed after the special prosecutor who replaced her moved to drop every charge. The decision marks an abrupt end to one of the most closely watched criminal cases in the country and underscores how the attorney who inherited the case forced a complete reversal of Willis’ efforts.
According to ABC News, Pete Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, announced that continuing the case was no longer in the state’s best interest. “In my professional judgment, the citizens of Georgia are not served by pursuing this case in full for another five to ten years,” he wrote in a court filing. Skandalakis was assigned to evaluate the case only after Willis was removed, and within minutes of his request to dismiss, Judge Scott McAfee granted it.
“This case is hereby dismissed in its entirety,” McAfee wrote, ending the sweeping racketeering indictment that had once charged Trump and 18 others with attempting to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results. All defendants had previously pleaded not guilty to the original indictment, which stemmed from Trump’s call urging Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” additional votes.
Willis originally pursued the racketeering case aggressively, alleging that Trump’s allies pressured officials across several states, targeted a Georgia election worker, and promoted false claims of a stolen election. Four defendants — Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro, and Scott Hall — had even taken plea deals to testify against others. But those efforts were halted once Willis was disqualified following accusations of misconduct related to her relationship with a prosecutor on her team.
After her removal, Skandalakis was tasked with either assigning a new independent prosecutor or taking the case himself. Earlier this month, he said he was “unable” to find anyone willing to accept the case, leading him to assume full responsibility — and ultimately to compel the complete withdrawal of all charges originally brought by Willis.
Following the dismissal, Trump attorney Steve Sadow celebrated the outcome, declaring, “The political persecution of President Trump by disqualified DA Fani Willis is finally over. This case should never have been brought. A fair and impartial prosecutor has put an end to this lawfare.” For now, the case that Willis launched — and which once appeared poised to shape election-related accountability nationwide — has been shut down by the very prosecutor appointed to replace her.