A major development hit Georgia on Wednesday as the prosecutor who recently inherited the state’s election-interference case against President Donald Trump officially shut the entire operation down. The decision marks a dramatic turn in a case that had dragged on for years and had become a centerpiece of political controversy in Georgia and nationwide.
Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, informed the court that he would not pursue the charges any further. Skandalakis was handed control of the case only last month after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified due to her undisclosed romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she hired—an entanglement the court ruled created an unacceptable “appearance of impropriety.”
The collapse of the prosecution represents a significant legal and political victory for President Trump, whose team had long argued that the Georgia case was built on bias and political motives rather than evidence. The decision effectively halts what had been one of the most high-profile cases targeting the former president.
Trump’s lead attorney in Georgia, Steve Sadow, did not mince words in responding to the announcement. He praised Skandalakis for ending what he described as an abuse of the legal system, saying justice had finally prevailed after years of politically motivated attacks.
Sadow emphasized that the prosecution should never have been initiated in the first place, calling it a clear example of “lawfare” driven not by facts or law, but by partisan ambition. He told Newsweek that the withdrawal proved Trump had been unfairly targeted from the start.
While charges could not be actively pursued against Trump during his term in the White House under federal guidelines, the case had remained open and active for the 14 other defendants. That cloud has now been lifted, as Skandalakis’s decision effectively freezes the entire case in place.
Among those who will see their legal jeopardy evaporate are former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Trump’s former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Both had continued to face charges even after Trump’s immunity protections came into play, making Wednesday’s announcement especially significant for them.
The Georgia probe had been a cornerstone of efforts by Democratic officials and anti-Trump prosecutors who sought to tie the former president to criminal wrongdoing related to the 2020 election. With this decision, one of the largest and most publicized prosecutions has now collapsed entirely.
Critics of Fani Willis argue that her removal from the case, and the subsequent dismissal of charges, vindicate their long-held concerns that the Georgia investigation was compromised from the beginning. They say the scandal surrounding her conduct confirmed what many believed: that the case was fueled by politics, not justice.
This marks yet another major legal victory in a series of recent wins for Trump, reinforcing his claims that the charges brought against him across various jurisdictions were driven by partisan motives. More updates are expected as additional details emerge.
