ATLANTA — A special prosecutor has determined there will be no charges for Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the 2020 election interference case in Fulton County involving former President Donald Trump.
The Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia (PAC) Executive Director, Pete Skandalakis, took over the matter in April after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was barred from prosecuting Jones as part of the 2020 election case.
In a release, Skandalakis said he interviewed Jones, reviewed his text messages and also considered transcripts and depositions of witnesses who testified to the special purpose grand jury that preceded the grand jury indictment of Trump and others last year; videos of Georgia Senate and House committee meetings in December 2020; and the Fulton County DA's investigative file on the case.
The release stated: "Throughout this investigation, four questions were considered. 1) Did this matter warrant further investigation by law enforcement agencies; 2) Should this investigation be submitted to another Special Purpose Grand Jury for further investigation; 3) Is there sufficient evidence to support the finding of probable cause for filing charges? And if yes; 4) Should this matter be presented to a regular Grand Jury for consideration of charges? ...the answer to each question is ‘No’."
Skandalakis continued: "The evidence reveals Senator Jones acted in a manner consistent with his position representing the concerns of his constituents and in reliance upon the advice of attorneys when he served as an alternate elector. The evidence also indicates Senator Jones did not act with criminal intent, which is an essential element of committing any crime."
See the full release with Skandalakis' findings at the bottom of this page.
A judge had determined Willis created a conflict of interest specific to Lt. Gov. Jones because she had hosted a fundraiser for his Democratic opponent in the lieutenant governor's race. She was disqualified from pursuing charges against Jones.
Jones was one of 16 state Republicans who signed a certificate stating that Trump had won Georgia and declaring themselves the state’s “ duly elected and qualified ” electors. As a state senator in the wake of the election, he also sought a special session of Georgia’s Legislature aimed at overturning Democrat Joe Biden’s narrow win in the state.
Jones denied wrongdoing, saying he and other electors acted only to preserve Trump’s chances if the former president won a court challenge that was pending at the time. Three others who signed the Republican elector certificate were among the 18 people indicted along with Trump in August by a Fulton County grand jury.
He called the 2020 election case a "charade" at the time and said DA Willis had "made a mockery of this legal process."
Burt Jones' full statement
I have always wanted to tell my story in front of a fair and unbiased prosecutor, which Fani Willis clearly is not. I am thankful that I finally had the opportunity to do that. Ms. Willis has wasted millions of taxpayer dollars trying to weaponize our judicial system, increase her political profile, and finance an inappropriate relationship with her boyfriend.
I look forward to being able to focus on the work I was elected to do. And while I don’t expect an apology from Ms. Willis or her mouthpieces in the media, I would ask that she provide one to the Georgians whose time and money she has wasted. She can start by being transparent with the General Assembly and complying with the subpoena issued for her testimony regarding the use of state tax dollars distributed to her office.