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Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued an order dismissing the 2020 election interference case against President Donald Trump and his co-defendants after the state of Georgia had moved to drop the matter.
“The State having moved for an entry of nolle prosequi for all remaining defendants, the Court grants the motion,” the order declares. “This case is hereby dismissed in its entirety.”
Trump’s lead Georgia defense counsel Steve Sadow described the case as “lawfare.”
NEW PROSECUTOR TAKES ON TRUMP’S GEORGIA ELECTION CASE AFTER FANI WILLIS DISQUALIFIED
Former U.S. President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up as he arrives at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Aug. 24, 2023 in Atlanta, Ga. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“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,” Sadow said in the statement.
Peter J. Skandalakis, who took the case over after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified from handling it, wrote about the decision to abandon the case.
“This entire case, from the initiation of the District Attorney’s investigation in 2021 to the present, is without precedent,” noted Peter J. Skandalakis, who took the case over after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified from handling it. “In my professional judgment, the citizens of Georgia are not served by pursuing this case in full for another five to ten years.”
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis looks on during a hearing in the case of the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump at the Fulton County Courthouse on March 1, 2024, in Atlanta, Ga. (Alex Slitz-Pool/Getty Images)
The Georgia case yielded the iconic 2023 mugshot of then-candidate Trump.
“The case is now nearly five years removed from President Trump’s phone call with the Secretary of State, and two years have passed since the Grand Jury returned charges against President Trump and the eighteen other defendants. There is no realistic prospect that a sitting President will be compelled to appear in Georgia to stand trial on the allegations in this indictment,” Skandalakis noted.
FANI WILLIS ORDERED TO PAY $54K FOR VIOLATING OPEN RECORDS LAWS IN TRUMP CASE
Donald Trump, former US President, booking photo provided by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office after he surrendered to authorities in Georgia on charges of plot to overturn the 2020 election, graphic element on gray (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
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“Severing President Trump from the remaining defendants and conducting separate trials, while simultaneously waiting for the conclusion of his term and addressing all of the aforementioned legal issues, would be both illogical and unduly burdensome and costly for the State and for Fulton County,” he wrote. “The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia lacks the resources to conduct multiple trials in this matter.”
Fox News’ Samantha Daigle and David Lewkowict contributed to this report
