• A new prosecutor, Pete Skandalakis, has taken control of the Georgia election interference case against Trump.
• This change follows the disqualification of former DA Fani Willis due to an "appearance of impropriety."
• Skandalakis reported that he was unable to find another prosecutor willing to take the case.
• Trump and 18 co-defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges of election interference.
• The case's future remains uncertain, with Skandalakis having the power to modify or dismiss the charges.

A new prosecutor, Pete Skandalakis, has been appointed to lead the election interference case against President Donald Trump and others in Georgia after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified over concerns involving a romantic relationship with a special prosecutor. Skandalakis, the director of the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia, stated that he decided to appoint himself due to the inability to find another prosecutor willing to take the case. "Several prosecutors were contacted and, while all were respectful and professional, each declined the appointment," he explained in a statement according to ABC News, Los Angeles Times, and Reuters.

The disqualification of Willis was confirmed following an appeals court ruling that found she had created an "appearance of impropriety." Skandalakis now takes over a high-profile case where Trump and 18 others are accused of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia, a charge they all plead not guilty to. Skandalakis noted that he intends to ensure proper handling of the case: "The public has a legitimate interest in the outcome of this case," he mentioned in his announcement according to ABC News and Reuters.

Skandalakis was under a court-imposed deadline to appoint a new prosecutor or risk the case being dismissed. His appointment comes just as Trump offered pardons to defendants involved in alleged electoral fraud efforts, although these pardons do not affect state charges. Defense attorneys remain optimistic about the potential dismissal of charges against Trump and his co-defendants, citing the new developments in leadership as a pivotal point in the case's trajectory according to Los Angeles Times and Reuters.