A day after the trial judge overseeing Georgia’s election interference case against President Donald Trump and others set a 14-day deadline for the appointment of a new prosecutor following Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ dismissal of the case, the council tasked with appointing a replacement has requested an extension.
On Friday, Judge Scott McAfee ordered the Georgia Prosecuting Counsel (PAC) to appoint an attorney to take over the case within 14 days, or the case will be dismissed.
“If an appointed tax attorney or PAC representative fails to file an appearance entry or request a particularized extension within 14 days of entry of this notice, the court will issue a dismissal without prejudice for failure to prosecute,” McAfee wrote in his order Friday.
On Saturday, the council asked the judge for more time, citing the complexity of the case.
“Due to the complexity of this case and the vast staff and resources required to handle a case of this nature, it will require time to search for a district attorney pro tempore willing to take on this prosecution,” said a court filing by PAC Executive Director Peter Skandalakis seeking an extension.
Skandalakis said they don’t anticipate even receiving the case file for another four weeks “due to the bulky size,” noting that Trump’s case is just one of more than 20 cases they are working on reassignment right now.
As such, Skandalakis said they are looking for at least 90 days to appoint a new prosecutor.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis looks on during a hearing on the Georgia election interference case, March 1, 2024 in Atlanta.
Alex Slitz/AP
The move comes two weeks after the Georgia Supreme Court effectively dismissed Willis from the sweeping racketeering case he brought after the 2020 election.
The state Supreme Court last month declined to take up Willis’s appeal of his removal from the case, nearly two years after Willis was first accused of misconduct By Michael Roman, one of Trump’s coders, on his relationship with one of the prosecutors in the case.
While the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that the president cannot be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, there are more than a dozen other defendants charged in the case, including several of the president’s current and former allies, including Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows.
Other defendants in the case include David Shafer, who wrote of the impending new prosecutor: “I appreciate the review of this ridiculous case by competent and ethical prosecutors who do not have a partisan agenda.”
All of the remaining defendants, including President Trump, have pleaded not guilty.
Last month, Trump said the Georgia Supreme Court made a “great decision” when they rejected Willis’ appeal and said she should be jailed for her efforts.
“Now she should be prosecuted. She was a, what she did for the people, she forgot about me, what Fani Willis did to innocent people, patriots who loved our country, what she did to them by accusing them and destroying them, she should be put in jail. She is a criminal. Fani Willis is a criminal,” Trump said.
