ATLANTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – On the same day a Georgia prosecutor appointed himself to take over President Donald Trump’s election interference case, the judge overseeing the case dismissed three of the historic charges brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
On Friday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee dismissed charges 14, 15 and 27, all related to the filing of false documents, which were issued by Willis in August 2023.
The order to quash the charges, which was filed Friday, lists Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Jeffrey Clark, Robert Cheeley, Michael Roman, David Shafer, Stephen Lee, Harrison Floyd, Trevian Kutti, Cathleen Latham and Misty Hampton — all of whom were indicted by Willis’ office.
Counts 15 and 27 were dismissed against Trump in 2024.
Earlier Friday, Pete Skandalakis, the head of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, assigned himself to take over the indictment of Trump and his allies who allegedly tried to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.
Skandalakis said he has appointed himself because of “my inability to secure another conflict prosecutor to assume responsibility for this case.”
The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia took over the case’s prosecution after Willis was disqualified over an “appearance of impropriety” caused by a romantic relationship she had with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
McAfee, who has been overseeing the now-stalled indictment, had given prosecutors until Friday to appoint a new prosecutor for the case. He has also set a hearing for Dec. 1 to determine the status of Skandalakis’ investigations.
On Nov. 10, Trump pardoned the alternate electors who were allegedly involved in plans to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, including all of the defendants charged by Willis.
Willis announced the indictment against Trump and 18 others in August 2023. She used the state’s anti-racketeering law to allege a wide-ranging conspiracy to try to illegally overturn Trump’s narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
Defense attorneys sought Willis’ removal after the revelation in January 2024 that she had engaged in a romantic relationship with Wade. Attorneys said the relationship created a conflict of interest, alleging that Willis personally profited from the case when Wade used his earnings to pay for vacations the pair took.
McAfee rebuked Willis, saying in an order in March 2024 that her actions showed a “tremendous lapse in judgment.” But he said he did not find a conflict of interest that would disqualify Willis. He ultimately ruled that Willis could remain on the case if Wade resigned, which the special prosecutor did hours later.
Defense attorneys appealed that ruling, and the Georgia Court of Appeals removed Willis from the case in December, citing an “appearance of impropriety.” The high court has since declined to hear Willis’ appeal, putting the case in the lap of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
