ATLANTA (AP) — A special prosecutor has decided not to pursue charges against Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones over efforts to overturn Donald Trump's 2020 presidential election loss in the state.
Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia on Friday announced that he had decided not to bring the matter to a grand jury. Skandalakis appointed himself to handle the matter in April, nearly two years after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was barred from prosecuting Jones as part of her election interference case against former Trump and others.
Jones was one of 16 state Republicans who met at the Georgia Capitol in December 2020 to sign a certificate stating that Trump had won Georgia and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors even though Democrat Joe Biden had been declared the state's winner.
A state senator at the time, Jones signed a call for a special session of Georgia’s legislature aimed at overturning Biden’s narrow win in the state. He joined 26 other Georgia state lawmakers in a court brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to agree with a request from Texas to throw out election results in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Jones also flew to Washington on Jan. 5, 2021, and had dinner with Vice President Mike Pence. Jones was carrying a letter from another lawmaker asking Pence to delay counting Electoral College votes. However, Jones has said he decided not to give the letter to Pence, saying he concluded Pence wasn’t open to the argument.
After Willis notified Jones in the summer of 2022 that he was a target of her investigation into possible illegal election meddling by Trump and others, he argued she shouldn't be able to prosecute him because she had hosted a fundraiser for his Democratic opponent in the lieutenant governor’s race. Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney agreed, ruling in July 2022 that Willis’ actions created an “actual and untenable” conflict of interest.
That left it up to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council, a nonpartisan state agency that supports district attorneys, to appoint a prosecutor to decide whether Jones should be charged. After Willis obtained an indictment against Trump and 18 others in August 2023, Skandalakis, the group's head, said he would begin looking for an appropriate prosecutor to determine whether Jones should also face charges. In April, Skandalakis announced that he would take on the task himself.
“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," Jones said in a statement after Skandalakis' decision was announced.
A spokesperson for Willis' office declined to comment.
Skandalakis released a four-page statement explaining how he reached his decision. He wrote that he considered evidence including transcripts and depositions from a special grand jury investigation led by Willis’ office, prosecutors’ investigative file and text messages from Jones’ cellphone. He also said he interviewed Jones four times.
The investigation was confined to Jones’ actions during challenges to the 2020 general election, specifically his role in those challenges and his motives at the time, Skandalakis wrote.
He sought to answer four questions: whether the matter warranted further investigation by law enforcement, whether there should be another special grand jury investigation, whether there was enough evidence to support probable cause for criminal charges and whether the matter should be presented to a regular grand jury to consider charges. The answer to all of those questions was “no,” he wrote.
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 a Republican elector, Skandalakis wrote. He added that Jones “did not act with criminal intent, which is an essential element of committing any crime.”
Jones has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, saying he and other Trump electors acted on the advice of lawyers to preserve the former president's chances if he won an election challenge that was pending in court at the time. Three others who signed the Republican elector certificate were among those indicted along with Trump.
Trump and the 18 others indicted in August were accused of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to illegally overturn Trump’s loss in Georgia. Four people have pleaded guilty after reaching deals with prosecutors. The others, including the former president, have pleaded not guilty.
The case is largely on hold right now while an appeal of an order allowing Willis to continue prosecuting the case is pending. Trump and others argued that a romantic relationship Willis had with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she had hired for the case, created a conflict of interest. The judge in the case said there was no conflict of interest that merited Willis' removal as long as Wade left the case, which he did.
Widely expected to run for governor in 2026, Jones has positioned himself as Trump’s top surrogate in Georgia. The decision not to prosecute him is unlikely to end criticism of Jones’ actions after the 2020 elections. But it could embolden efforts in the state Senate to attack Willis.
Senators close to Jones spearheaded the creation of a special committee to investigate Willis that could then subpoena witnesses and take sworn testimony. That committee had subpoenaed Willis to appear Friday, but she did not show up.
Recommending charges against Jones could hav e put Skandalakis in a difficult spot. As lieutenant governor, Jones has influence over how much money lawmakers spend on the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council.
FILE - Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones speaks, Oct. 25, 2023, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)
REDFORD CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is visiting the union stronghold of Flint in the critical swing state of Michigan on Friday as she battles with Donald Trump for working-class voters who could tip the scales in this year's election.
Her appearance comes the day after U.S. dockworkers suspended their strike in hopes of reaching a new contract, sparing the country a damaging episode of labor unrest that could have rattled the economy. A tentative agreement was reached to raise salaries, although other issues still need to be resolved.
Harris said the development “indicates progress toward a strong contract and represents the power of collective bargaining.” She added in a statement that “dockworkers deserve a fair share for their hard work getting essential goods out to communities across America.”
Before her evening remarks in Flint, Harris visited a firehouse in Redford Charter Township, outside Detroit, and shouted out to “labor brothers and sisters” saying “I thank you all.” The vice president said the tentative dockworker agreement demonstrates the power of collective bargaining.
“We know, when union wages go up, all wages go up," Harris told a small firehouse crowd featuring representatives from different unions. ”And the bottom line is, when unions are strong America is strong."
Her campaign also said that Harris would use her Flint remarks to criticize Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, on auto jobs. She planned to point directly to Vance, who while campaigning in Michigan on Wednesday refused to commit to continue federal support going to the GM plant in Lansing.
Unions have long been a bedrock of support for Democrats, but Harris has failed to secure some key endorsements. The International Association of Fire Fighters announced this week that it wouldn't back a candidate this year, following a similar announcement from the Teamsters. Both unions endorsed Joe Biden four years ago.
Justin Pomerville, the business manager at UA Local 85 in Michigan, planned to attend Harris’ event in Flint on Friday evening. He said 70% of his members’ work hours are tied to the CHIPS and Science Act, which the Biden administration championed and pumped billions of dollars into semiconductor manufacturing.
The workers lay complex networks of pipes that carry exhaust, water and chemicals through high-tech facilities. However, Pomerville said that some members aren’t aware of the connection between their jobs and the legislation.
“Unless someone tells them they’re working because of that, they don’t know,” he said.
It's not a total cold union shoulder for Harris. Some Teamsters locals are supporting her, and she won quick endorsements from national teachers unions, the building trades, the AFL-CIO and the United Auto Workers after replacing Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket.
But the divide within the labor community is a reminder of shifting loyalties in American politics. Democrats have increased their support among white-collar professionals while Republicans try to make inroads among voters who didn’t attend college.
During a rally in Saginaw, Michigan on Thursday, Trump claimed that Republicans are now “the party of the American worker,” glossing over his anti-union record as president. In a reference to labor unrest at the country’s ports, he insisted that “under my leadership Americans won’t have to go on strike for a better wage or a better life.”
The former president also made a trip to Flint last month in an event billed as focusing on the auto industry, a pillar of the battleground state. The two candidates have been in the same cities — and in some cases the exact same venues — within days or weeks of each other.
Pomerville, who is also president of the Tri-County Building and Construction Trades Council, said “We’re voting our pocketbooks" and “It’s got to be our job to get that message out.”
But he warned that “Trump has done an amazing job at marketing false facts” and his message is resonating with some of the union members.
”It’s particularly potent with men who appreciate his anti-establishment message and are exhausted by politics in general," said Pomerville who added that when people try to talk about the election with them, “you can watch some of their walls go up.”
Trump was spending Friday in Georgia with Gov. Brian Kemp, the latest sign that he's patched up his rocky relationship with the top Republican in a key battleground state. Later in the day, he’s holding a campaign event in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Union voters have traditionally leaned toward Democrats, with 56% supporting Biden in 2020. But Trump has pushed hard to win over blue-collar workers traditionally represented by some of the biggest unions. He won 62% of white voters without college degrees — though only 24% of non-white voters without college degrees — in 2020.
It’s frustrating for Democrats, who point to the country's strong labor market — 254,000 jobs were added in September, more than expected — and the White House’s firm support for unions. Biden even joined a UAW picket line last year.
Lisa Anderson, 59, drove more than an hour from Green Bay in her green “AFSCME for Harris-Walz” shirt to hear the vice president speak when she rallied in Wisconsin on Thursday.
She’s been an elementary school administrative assistant for 17 years, and she’s confident that Harris’ union support runs deep.
“I’m not worried about it,” Anderson said. “If you’re voting for Trump, how can you believe in unions?” AFSCME is the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Labor relations could have been a dominant issue in the closing weeks of the presidential campaign if the dockworkers strike continued, leading to snarled ports and shortages on store shelves.
Biden expressed satisfaction that a deal was being worked out.
“We’ve been working hard on it," he said at the White House. "With the grace of God, and the goodwill of neighbors, it’s gonna hold.”
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Redford Township Fire Department North Station, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Redford Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Redford Township Fire Department North Station, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Redford Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at the Ryder Center at Saginaw Valley State University, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in University Center, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she departs after speaking at a campaign rally at Ripon College, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Ripon, Wis. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
