Prosecutor named to investigate Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in election interference case

The head of the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia will take up the case against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones for his alleged role in trying to overturn the 2020 election here in Georgia.

Jones was one of 16 Georgia Republican electors who falsely claimed that former President Donald Trump won the state of Georgia over President Joe Biden.

He was not one of the 19 co-defendants named in a grand jury indictment released that included former President Trump, Rudy Guiliani and more.

A Fulton County judge barred District Attorney Fani Willis from investigating him after it was revealed she held a fundraiser for his Democratic opponent during the election.

In a statement, Jones said:

“I’m happy to see this process move forward and look forward to the opportunity to get this charade behind me. Fani Willis has made a mockery of this legal process, as she tends to do. I look forward to a quick resolution and moving forward with the business of the state of Georgia.”

Jones was elected to the Georgia State Senate in 2012, serving in Georgia’s 25th District before being elected lieutenant governor in November 2022.

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In a statement from the Prosecuting Attorneys Council, it said:

“Pursuant to the authority contained in O.C.G.A. § 15-18-5, Peter J. Skandalakis, Executive Director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, or his designee, will be appointed to act as District Attorney Pro Tempore, Atlanta Judicial Circuit, in the matter concerning Burt Jones. In accordance with State Bar Rule 3.8 Special Responsibilities of a Prosecutor and pending litigation, no further comments will be made at this time.”

Skandalakis is the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys Council and has been searching for 21 months to find someone to prosecute the case. Instead of appointing a district attorney or a private lawyer to take the case, he appointed himself.

This is not the first big case that Skandalakis has been tasked with overseeing. He oversaw the investigation into the officers who shot and killed Rashard Brooks.

Ultimately, he found the officers’ use of force was reasonable and they did not act with criminal intent.

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