Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is finally facing an investigation into his role as a fake elector for former President Donald Trump in 2020.
The fake electors scheme, in which several Trump partisans signed paperwork falsely declaring themselves their states' legitimate electors, is a major piece of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' sprawling racketeering case against Trump and his allies.
However, Willis was disqualified from investigating Jones' role in the scheme because she hosted a fundraiser for his political rival.
Now the New York Times is reporting that Pete Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia and a former Republican district attorney, is taking up the potential case against Jones.
Although Jones is now under investigation, it is no sure thing that he will face criminal charges.
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In her own racketeering case, Willis only brought charges against three of the fake Georgia electors while agreeing to plea deals with all the others.
Jones, however, appears to be a major participant in the plot to block the certification of the 2020 election.
"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Mr. Jones flew to Washington on Jan. 5, 2021, to try to persuade Vice President Mike Pence to delay certification of the Electoral College votes, although Mr. Jones told the news outlet that he ultimately did not raise the matter with Mr. Pence," the Times notes.
Fake electors in other states, including Michigan and Nevada, have been hit with criminal charges, while fake electors in Wisconsin settled a civil lawsuit in which they were forced to acknowledge that President Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election.
Trump has continued to falsely insist that the election was stolen even as his allies have repeatedly failed to come up with evidence to back up such claims.
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