FULTON COUNTY, GA — A fast-approaching deadline could determine the future of President Trump’s 2020 election interference case in Fulton County.
Under an order from Judge Scott McAfee, the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia has until noon Friday to appoint a replacement for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who was removed from the case over conflicts of interest tied to her selection of special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
If the council does not meet the deadline, the sweeping case against President Trump and his co-defendants will be dropped.
Earlier this week, the council’s executive director, Pete Skandalakis, told WSB they were “diligently working” to appoint someone before the deadline.
The case was originally filed in August 2023 and centers on allegations that President Trump and others attempted to overturn former President Biden’s victory in Georgia during the 2020 election. One of the most well-known pieces of evidence is the president’s recorded call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, during which he urged officials to quote “find 11,780 votes.”
Several defendants in the case have already entered guilty pleas; others are still awaiting trial. The deadline comes just days after President Trump issued pardons to all defendants named in the case, but those pardons apply only to federal charges. The state charges filed in Georgia remain unaffected.
Legal experts say that even if the case does move forward with a newly appointed prosecutor, it may be nearly impossible to pursue charges against President Trump himself until he leaves office in 2029.
Friday’s decision will determine whether the long-delayed state case proceeds or comes to an abrupt end.
WSB Radio’s Jonathan O’Brien contributed to this story.