Georgia state prosecutor Pete Skandalakis said he will lead an investigation of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones' alleged role in trying to help Donald Trump overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state.
Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia, faced criticism for dragging his feet in finding a new prosecutor after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in 2022 was disqualified after her fundraiser for Jones' political rival, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Skandalakis' office had assumed responsibility for appointing a prosecutor to investigate Jones in July 2022, the same month Fulton County Judge Robert McBurney yanked Willis from the Jones probe, saying "the optics are horrific," the outlet noted.
In a statement, Jones welcomed a start to the investigation and slammed Willis.
"I'm happy to see this process move forward and look forward to the opportunity to get this charade behind me," Jones said, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. "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 one of 16 pro-Trump electors who signed documents claiming the former president won the state in 2020. Gov. Brian Kemp and legislative leaders rejected their requests, the Journal-Constitution noted.
While Jones was a state senator, he tried to convene a special session of Georgia's Legislature to overturn President Joe Biden's win, The Hill reported.
Jones on Thursday told The Hill he looks forward to a "quick resolution" of the accusations against him, while slamming Willis for making a "mockery of this legal process."
Willis' office indicted Trump and more than a dozen of his allies on sprawling racketeering charges in August 2023. Trump has pleaded not guilty, and no trial date has been set.
Jones appears to be listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the racketeering case, though he is not identified by name in charging documents, The Hill reported.