Georgia prosecutor ends Trump RICO case, claims trial was unrealistic and leaderless
WASHINGTON, DC: A Georgia prosecutor on Wednesday, November 26, formally ended the case against President Donald Trump and more than a dozen allies for alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, closing the most advanced legal threat the president has faced on election-interference charges.
Federal cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith, one involving election interference ahead of the January 6 Capitol attack and another concerning classified documents, were previously dismissed.
In a detailed explanation released Wednesday, Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia Director Peter Skandalakis wrote that the case was effectively impossible to bring to trial within a reasonable timeframe, given layers of constitutional and procedural challenges and the likelihood that any jury trial would not occur until well into Trump’s second term.
“Even assuming each of these issues were resolved in the State’s favor, bringing this case before a jury in 2029, 2030, or even 2031 would be nothing short of a remarkable feat,” he wrote.
Prosecutor cites cost and limited public benefit
Skandalakis said that he had considered severing Trump’s case from his co-defendants to proceed with trials for others while waiting out Trump’s term. But, they ultimately rejected the idea as “illogical” and financially burdensome.
“In my professional judgment, the citizens of Georgia are not served by pursuing this case in full for another five to ten years,” he said, noting that the drawn-out proceedings, jurisdiction fights, and constitutional disputes would leave the prosecution in limbo for years.
The decision effectively ended the case that began with explosive allegations- that Trump, in a January 2021 phone call, had pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to overturn Joe Biden’s win.
The Fulton County investigation, launched shortly thereafter, grew into a wide-reaching probe of Trump’s post-election conduct.
RICO indictment first for a president
The RICO indictment, filed on August 14, 2023, by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, charged Trump and 18 co-defendants under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a statute more commonly associated with prosecuting organized crime syndicates.
The charges alleged that Trump and his allies “joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome” of the state’s election.
The case peaked in late summer 2023 when Trump surrendered at the Fulton County jail for fingerprinting, and the first mug shot was taken of a former US president.
It was widely viewed as the criminal case most likely to reach trial while Trump campaigned for a return to the White House.
Peter Skandalakis says Trump case is 'on life support'
A motion filed in early 2024 by Trump campaign official Michael Roman alleged that Willis had maintained an inappropriate romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she had hired.
Defense attorneys argued that Willis had financially benefited from the relationship through vacations Wade had allegedly paid for.
After a bruising televised hearing, a judge allowed Willis to stay on the case only if Wade resigned, which he did.
But the appeals process halted progress. By December 2024, the Georgia appeals court disqualified Willis entirely. The Georgia Supreme Court declined to revive her involvement in September 2025, leaving the sprawling case effectively leaderless and in legal limbo.
Skandalakis acknowledged the disarray, “The case is on life support and the decision what to do with it falls on me and me alone.”
