Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones won’t face charges in 2020 election interference case

A special prosecutor announced Friday that Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones will not be charged over efforts to overturn former President Donald Trump’s electoral defeat in the 2020 presidential election.

Peter Skandalakis, who leads the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, a judicial agency that assists prosecutors across the state, said in a statement that he considered the matter closed.

Jones was among a slate of 16 alternate presidential electors who met at the state Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, and cast votes for Trump even after an official vote count confirmed Joe Biden defeated him in the state. Additionally, Jones was asked by the chairman of a Georgia Senate Judiciary subcommittee to deliver a letter to then-Vice President Mike Pence on Jan. 5, 2021, requesting a delay in counting the Electoral College votes. Jones, then a state senator, did not deliver the letter.

"My review of the evidence finds this matter does not warrant further consideration. 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," Skandalakis said in a four-page statement Friday. "The evidence also indicates Senator Jones did not act with criminal intent, which is an essential element of committing any crime."

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was barred in 2022 from building a case against Jones, who at the time was running for lieutenant governor, after she participated in a fundraiser for a Democrat in that race.

In April, Skandalakis became the lead prosecutor in the investigation into Jones, and said that he had reviewed transcripts and witness depositions, videos of Georgia legislature committees, the investigative file of the Atlanta Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, and text messages from Jones' phone. He also said he conducted four interviews with Jones.

Jones had denied wrongdoing in the case, and blasted Willis in a statement Friday.

“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," Jones said in a statement.

A spokesperson from the Futon County District Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday evening.

Trump and more than a dozen other people were indicted in August 2023 on state felony charges in Georgia tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Four of the original 19 co-defendants pleaded guilty, while Trump and the others have pleaded not guilty.

The judge overseeing the case threw out three of the initial 41 counts in the indictment this week, including two brought against Trump. The case remains on hold over efforts to disqualify Willis in her role as prosecutor.