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)
BALTIMORE (AP) — Blake Snell struck out 12 over six innings and allowed just one hit to carry the San Francisco Giants past the faltering Baltimore Orioles 10-0 on Tuesday night.
The Orioles have lost seven of nine to fall 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Yankees in the AL East, pending New York’s game later Tuesday night at Seattle. Baltimore held a half-game lead on Sept. 5 before its current tailspin, during which it has been outscored 46-18.
Colton Cowser had two of the Orioles’ five hits in their most lopsided shutout loss of the season.
RAYS 8, RED SOX 3
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Shane Baz allowed two runs and two hits over seven innings, Jose Siri homered and drove in four runs, and Tampa Bay beat Boston.
Baz (3-3) struck out six and walked one, and set a team mark with his fifth consecutive start of giving up three hits or fewer over five-plus innings.
Siri hit one Tampa Bay’s three homers during a four-run fifth inning and extended the Rays lead to 8-3 with his three-run bloop double to left in the eighth.
Junior Caminero, Josh Lowe and Brandon Lowe also homered for the Rays. Tampa Bay trails Minnesota by six games for the final AL wild card, and would also have pass Boston, Seattle and Detroit.
Triston Casas and Romy Gonzalez homered for Boston, which is five back of the Twins with 11 games remaining.
MARLINS 11, DODGERS 9
MIAMI (AP) — Jesús Sánchez doubled twice and drove in three runs, and Miami beat Shohei Ohtani and the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ohtani struck out three times but hit his 48th home run as he tries to become the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season. He did not steal a base for the fifth straight game and remains at 48.
Sánchez went 5 for 5, while Otto Lopez and Jake Burger homered for the Marlins.
Connor Norby became the first Marlin with four runs scored in a single game this season. He went 2 for 3 with a single, double and two walks. Kyle Stowers had an RBI triple in the fourth and added a run-scoring double in the sixth for the Marlins, who had 15 hits.
TWINS 4, GUARDIANS 1
CLEVELAND (AP) — Willi Castro hit a two-run homer, Matt Wallner had two RBIs and Minnesota bounced back from a crushing loss in the series opener to beat Cleveland and stay locked into the final AL wild card.
Castro connected in the eighth inning, and both of Wallner’s RBI singles came off Gavin Williams (3-10), who has just one win in his last seven starts.
The Twins entered with a 1 1/2-game lead over Detroit for the last playoff berth.
Lane Thomas homered for the AL Central-leading Guardians, who are closing in on the postseason. They can still clinch a spot on Wednesday.
REDS 6, BRAVES 5
CINCINNATI (AP) — Michael Harris II and Matt Olson homered for Atlanta, but the Braves blew a four-run lead in a costly loss to Cincinnati.
Pierce Johnson and Jesse Chavez struggled as Atlanta dropped its third consecutive game. The Braves (81-70) are battling the New York Mets for the third NL wild card.
Harris hit a leadoff drive in the first against Brandon Williamson. Marcell Ozuna reached on a one-out single before Olson made it 3-0 with his 26th homer.
Jorge Soler’s 19th homer made it 5-1 in the fourth. But that was it for Atlanta, which went 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left 14 runners on base.
Spencer Steer homered for Cincinnati, and Tyler Stephenson had two hits and drove in a run. The Reds improved to 4-0 against the Braves this year.
METS 10, NATIONALS 1
NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso homered and drove in five runs, Luisangel Acuña added his first major league longball to cap a huge night at the plate, and the New York Mets routed Washington to boost their chances in a close National League playoff race.
Tylor Megill (4-5) provided another terrific outing in place of injured starter Paul Blackburn, and Francisco Alvarez also went deep as the Mets improved to 10-2 against Washington this year.
New York moved two games ahead of rival Atlanta for the last NL wild card with 11 to play. A loud cheer went up in the crowd of 24,932 at Citi Field when the out-of-town scoreboard showed that Cincinnati had polished off a 6-5 comeback victory over the Braves.
Jose Iglesias had three hits and scored twice, batting leadoff with Francisco Lindor sidelined by a sore back. The 22-year-old Acuña, subbing for Lindor at shortstop, finished a triple shy of the cycle and scored three times from the No. 9 spot in his fourth big league game.
CARDINALS 3, PIRATES 1
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Lance Lynn threw six strong innings in his 100th appearance at Busch Stadium, Jordan Walker homered and St. Louis beat Pittsburgh.
Lynn (7-4) allowed one run on four hits and struck out five. Lynn is 9-0 over his last 21 starts at Busch, where he pitched for the Cardinals from 2011-17 before rejoining St. Louis this season. His last loss in the Cardinals’ ballpark came on July 4, 2017, against Miami.
The Cardinals (76-75) are seven games out of the final NL wild card spot with 11 games remaining.
Bryan De La Cruz hit his 20th homer of the season, taking Lynn deep in the second inning. De La Cruz’s drive to the left-center bleachers traveled 431 feet and was his second for Pittsburgh after being acquired from Miami.
PHILLIES 5, BREWERS 1
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bryce Harper hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the sixth inning to back up the strong pitching of Zack Wheeler and Philadelphia beat Milwaukee in a matchup of division leaders.
Nick Castellanos added a solo shot and Trea Turner went 3 for 5 to help the Phillies move closer to wrapping up the NL East title while delaying the Brewers’ NL Central championship celebration.
The Phillies lowered their magic number for clinching the NL East to four. The Brewers’ magic number dropped to one with the Chicago Cubs 4-3 loss to the Oakland Athletics.
OAKLAND 4, CUBS 3
CHICAGO (AP) — Shea Langeliers homered twice, including a towering solo drive that cleared the Wrigley Field bleachers in left, and Oakland beat Chicago.
Langeliers’ third multihomer game of the season and No. 5 for his career upped his season total to 28, extending his career best.
Lawrence Butler also went deep for Oakland, which stopped a three-game losing streak. The skid included back-to-back losses to the MLB-worst White Sox.
Ian Happ hit two solo homers for the Cubs (77-74), who fell six games behind the New York Mets for the final NL wild card with 11 games left.
TIGERS 3, ROYALS 1, 10 INNINGS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Parker Meadows hit a broken-bat single in the 10th inning to give Detroit the lead, moments after Trey Sweeney had been given third base because of a balk, and the Tigers went on to beat Kansas City.
Tyler Holton (7-1) retired all six Royals he faced, striking out a pair in the ninth to force extra innings. Jason Foley took care of the Royals in the 10th, earning the save for the second straight night and 25th time this season.
Riley Greene added an RBI single off Lucas Erceg (2-6) later in the 10th for the Tigers, helping them to remain 1 1/2 games back of the Twins for the final AL wild-card spot.
The Royals stayed 2 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the first wild-card spot. They are 1 1/2 ahead of Minnesota.
ROCKIES 8, DIAMONDBACKS 2
DENVER (AP) — Hunter Goodman and Ezequiel Tovar hit home runs, Ryan Feltner pitched into the seventh inning for his first victory at Coors Field in two years, and Colorado beat Arizona.
Tovar, who also homered in Monday’s 3-2 win over Arizona, finished with three hits and drove in two runs. Goodman also homered Monday and connected for his 13th of the season off Blake Walston in the seventh.
Jacob Stallings and Jordan Beck hit run-scoring doubles and Brenton Doyle added a sacrifice fly for the Rockies, who had two more runs in the eighth.
Christian Walker homered and Pavin Smith had two doubles and scored a run for Arizona, which dropped into a tie with the New York Mets for the last two NL wild-card spots. San Diego holds the top spot.
RANGERS 13, BLUE JAYS 8
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Wyatt Langford homered and doubled twice, struggling Jonah Heim delivered a two-run single to break a sixth-inning tie and Texas beat Toronto.
Leody Taveras also had a homer among his three hits for the Rangers.
Heim was 1 for 34 in September before he lined a single to right field off Tommy Nance (0-2) to score Adolis García and Nathaniel Lowe, giving Texas a 9-7 lead. Heim went to the plate hitting .212 with 53 RBIs after being voted an All-Star starter last season with a career-best 95 RBIs. He added a double in the eighth ahead of Taveras’ homer during a three-run inning.
Matt Festa (5-1) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win, giving him a 5-0 record in 13 appearances with the Rangers after being granted free agency by the New York Mets on July 7.
ANGELS 5, WHITE SOX 0
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Rookie Eric Wagaman homered for the second straight game, Griffin Canning threw six innings of three-hit ball, and the Los Angeles Angels dealt the Chicago White Sox their 116th loss with a 5-0 victory on Tuesday night.
The White Sox were shut out for the 19th time, tied for fourth-most since 2000, and finished with six hits. They had only two runners reach second base.
The Angels stopped a six-game slide. They scored in the third through seventh innings and had 10 hits for the first time in five games.
YANKEES 11, MARINERS 2
SEATTLE (AP) — Aaron Judge drove in four runs in his first two at-bats, Juan Soto hit his 40th homer of the season and 200th of his career, and the New York Yankees moved to the cusp of clinching a playoff berth with a win over Seattle.
The Yankees can clinch at worst a wild-card spot in the American League with a victory over Seattle on Wednesday. The win in the opener of New York’s six-game road trip pushed the Yankees lead in the AL East to four games over Baltimore.
Judge laced a two-run double three batters into the game and added a two-out, two-run single the next time he was up an inning later. Judge now has a league-leading 136 RBIs on the season.
Soto joined the offensive outburst in the third inning with a two-out, two-run opposite field blast off Seattle starter Bryan Woo. It’s the first time in his career Soto has reached the 40-homer mark and he’s now homered in all 30 parks in baseball.
Soto and Judge are the third set of Yankee teammates to each hit 40 home runs in a season joining Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig (1927, 1930, 1931), and Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris (1961).
ASTROS 4, PADRES 3, 10 INNINGS
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Grae Kessinger replaced the ejected Jose Altuve and scored on Kyle Tucker’s single in the 10th inning to give the AL West-leading Houston a wild win against San Diego.
Astros reliever Héctor Neris loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the 10th before getting Manny Machado to ground into a force play. Machado had hit a tying two-run homer in the sixth.
Neris earned his 18th save.
Kessinger started the 10th as the automatic runner in place of Altuve, who was ejected along with manager Joe Espada after a crazy scene following the top of the ninth.
Altuve grounded out to third for the final out but apparently thought he had fouled the ball off his foot. He took off his left cleat and sock, which got him ejected by plate umpire Brennan Miller. Espada was tossed after continuing to argue.
Giants blank Orioles
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Giants blank Orioles
