Politics
New prosecutor won’t pursue charges against Donald Trump, others in Georgia election interference case
A Judge on Wednesday dismissed the Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and others after the prosecutor who took over the case said he would not pursue the charges, ending the last effort to punish the President in the courts for his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Pete Skandalakis, the Executive Director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, took over the case last month from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who was removed over an “appearance of impropriety” created by a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she chose to lead the case.
After Skandalakis’ filing, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued a one-paragraph order dismissing the case in its entirety.
The latest criminal case against Trump to unravel
The abandonment of the Georgia case is the latest reflection of how Trump has emerged largely unscathed from a spate of prosecutions that once threatened to imperil his political career and personal liberty.
Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, who had charged Trump with conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election and hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, dropped both cases after Trump won the White House last year. Smith cited longstanding Justice Department policy against the indictment of a sitting President.
And though Trump was convicted of felony charges in New York in connection with hush money payments during the 2016 election, he was sentenced in January to an unconditional discharge, leaving his conviction intact but sparing him any punishment.
It was unlikely that legal action against Trump could have moved forward while he is President. Fourteen other defendants still faced charges, including former New York Mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead attorney in Georgia, applauded the case’s dismissal: “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.”
The Associated Press has reached out to a spokesperson for Willis seeking comment on the dismissal.
“The strongest and most prosecutable case against those seeking to overturn the 2020 Presidential election results and prevent the certification of those votes was the one investigated and indicted by Special Counsel Jack Smith,” Skandalakis wrote in his court filing Wednesday.
He added that the criminal conduct alleged in the Georgia indictment “was conceived in Washington, D.C., not the State of Georgia. The federal government is the appropriate venue for this prosecution, not the State of Georgia.”
Why a new prosecutor took over the Georgia case
After the Georgia Supreme Court in September declined to hear Willis’ appeal of her disqualification, it fell to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council to find a new prosecutor. Skandalakis said last month that he reached out to several prosecutors, but they all declined to take the case. McAfee set a Nov. 14 deadline for the appointment of a new prosecutor, so Skandalakis chose to appoint himself rather than let the case be dismissed right away.
He said Willis’ office only recently delivered the case file — 101 boxes and an eight-terabyte hard drive — and he hadn’t had a chance to review everything yet. Citing the public’s “legitimate interest in the outcome of this case,” he said he wanted to assess the evidence and decide on appropriate next steps.
Skandalakis, who has led the small, nonpartisan council since 2018, said in a court filing last month that he will get no extra pay for the case but that Fulton County will reimburse expenses. He previously spent about 25 years as the elected Republican District Attorney for the Coweta Judicial Circuit, southwest of Atlanta.
How the Georgia case fell apart
Willis announced the sprawling indictment against Trump and 18 others in August 2023, using the state’s anti-racketeering law to allege a wide-ranging conspiracy to illegally overturn Trump’s narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden in Georgia.
Defense attorneys sought Willis’ removal after one revealed in January 2024 that Willis had a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she hired to lead the case. The defense attorneys alleged a conflict of interest and said Willis profited from the case when Wade used his earnings to pay for vacations the pair took.
During an extraordinary hearing the following month, Willis and Wade testified about the intimate details of their relationship. They said the romance didn’t begin until after Wade was hired and that they split the costs for vacations and other outings.
The Judge rebuked Willis for a “tremendous lapse in judgment” but found no disqualifying conflict of interest, ruling she could stay on the case if Wade resigned, which he did hours later.
Defense attorneys appealed, and the Georgia Court of Appeals removed Willis from the case in December 2024, citing an “appearance of impropriety.” The state Supreme Court declined to hear Willis’ appeal.
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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Hispanic Floridians have played a pivotal role in building our state, and today their impact is stronger than ever. Increasing numbers of Hispanic families, business owners, seniors, retirees, and veterans call Florida home.
As our community grows, public policy must keep pace in protecting those most at risk.
Florida has a longstanding record of defending seniors, veterans, and retirees — from expanded homestead exemptions to laws guarding against elder abuse and financial exploitation. HB 427 and SB 266 build on that tradition by addressing a pressing problem: predatory public adjuster contracts targeting vulnerable residents after home damage.
When fires, plumbing disasters, or storms strike, seniors, retirees, and veterans often face pressure to sign complicated contracts quickly — sometimes while recovering from hospitalization or other emergencies.
Many Hispanic seniors face an additional hurdle: English is not their primary language, yet contracts are not required to be available in Spanish or other easy-to-understand formats.
Too often, elderly Hispanic residents are navigating these high-stakes decisions alone. Adult children may live far away and cannot assist immediately. Contracts must be reviewed and signed quickly, leaving residents exposed to confusing terms or high-pressure tactics.
HB 427 and SB 266 provide common sense relief. They allow seniors, retirees, and veterans to cancel public adjuster agreements — without penalty — if they are unable to fully understand the contract. This safeguard is especially important for Spanish-speaking residents and others facing language or comprehension challenges.
Ethical public adjusters have nothing to worry about. The bills target exploitative practices, not responsible business operations. They strike a balance: protecting Floridians while leaving legitimate professionals free to do their work.
At its core, this legislation is about fairness, clarity, and respect. It ensures that those who have contributed to Florida — Hispanics, seniors, retirees, and veterans alike — are not taken advantage of in moments of vulnerability.
Florida can once again demonstrate leadership in consumer protection. HB 427 and SB 266 offer practical, balanced reforms that reflect our values and protect those who need it most.
On behalf of Hispanic seniors, and all of Florida’s retirees and veterans, I urge lawmakers to act in support of these commonsense protections.
___
Julio A. Fuentes is president and CEO of the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (FSHCC).
That includes funding raised through a public bitcoin wallet.
Republican congressional candidate Michael Carbonara says he has raised $1.7 million to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
“For far too long, Debbie Wasserman Schultz has been a fixture in Washington, and she’s done nothing to help working families struggling with inflation, high taxes and needless bureaucracy, while pushing policies that harm Florida families and take away their freedoms,” Carbonara said.
“Her approach to government is rooted in Washington bureaucracy and big spending, not in accountability or affordability.”
Of note, Wasserman Schultz had just over $1.6 million in cash on hand at the close of the third quarter. The Weston Democrat hasn’t announced quarterly numbers for the final three months of 2025.
Details on Carbonara’s fundraising are not yet publicly available. The campaign said it did invest a portion of funds accrued through a dedicated public blockchain wallet with bitcoin personally raised by Carbonara.
But Carbonara’s campaign said he demonstrated the ability to raise more than she had in the bank in her last report. The candidate has stressed a hunger for change as he challenges the longest-serving Democrat in Florida’s congressional delegation.
“District 25 deserves a leader who will fight for Florida and restore Floridians’ freedom,” he said. “I’m in the business of breaking down barriers, solving problems and creating jobs, and I’ll do the same for our community in Congress.”
No other Republican who filed to challenge Wasserman Schultz last cycle raised as much as Carbonara has this cycle. Ahead of the 2024 contest, Republican Chris Eddy raised more than $416,000 for the seat. Wasserman Schultz beat Eddy in November 2024 with 54.5% of the vote.
That was a tighter margin than when she defeated Republican Carla Spalding in 2022 with 55.1% of the vote, the only other time she ran under the current district lines. Notably, Republican leaders in Florida have signaled that redistricting will happen again before the Midterms.
Carbonara’s campaign said it also has employed social media in new ways to directly reach voters in the district. A launch video on X has been viewed more than 9.3 million times as of this writing.
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