A special prosecutor will be appointed to investigate Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a Republican, in connection with former President Trump‘s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state, a Georgia official has confirmed.
Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, said he will appoint a special prosecutor to review the matter because Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was removed from any investigation of Mr. Jones.
“I have no timetable on this matter but will move as quickly as possible,” Mr. Skandalakis said in a statement. “I will also add, this case is unprecedented in its scope and nature. Finding a special prosecutor with the resources to handle such a case will not be easy.”
Ms. Willis, a Democrat, charged Mr. Trump and 18 others with felonies on Monday for interfering in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election. But a state judge barred her from investigating Mr. Jones because of a conflict of interest; she hosted a fundraiser for Mr. Jones’ Democratic opponent in the last election.
Mr. Jones, a former state senator, signed documents purporting to be one of Georgia’s 16 valid presidential electors for Mr. Trump. Three others of the so-called fake electors were indicted in Ms. Willis’ investigation for forgery, false statements and other charges.
Mr. Jones characterized the Trump indictments as politically motivated.
“The Fulton County District Attorney has spent millions of taxpayer dollars and thousands of man hours over the past two and a half years orchestrating a constant media and PR campaign for the sole purpose of furthering her own political career,” he said in a social media post.
He accused her of pursuing “the political vendettas of the past” and ignoring real crime.
“All the while — for the past two and a half years — smash and grabs, homicides, shootings and break-ins have continued to go unchecked in Atlanta,” he said. “How many criminals could have been locked up, how many break-ins could have been prevented, how many lives could have been saved if the district attorney had simply been going after real criminals and protecting our streets?”
State Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler, a Democrat, praised the move for a special prosecutor to be selected to look into Mr. Jones’ actions following the 2020 election.
“He doesn’t get a pass simply because the Fulton County DA wasn’t permitted to bring charges,” Ms. Butler said in a statement.
Among the others indicted were former Trump attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani, former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and former members of Trump‘s legal team, Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell.
• This article is based in part on wire-service reports.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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