Augusta District Attorney Jared Williams is one of several under consideration to serve as conflict prosecutor against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.
“I stand ready to serve the state of Georgia if called upon,” Williams said Thursday.
Jones was one of 16 Republicans who signed on as Trump electors from Georgia as the former president lost his second bid for the White House. Opponents say as a Trump co-conspirator in the “insurrection,” he should be barred from holding elected office.
While a special grand jury recommended Jones face felony charges, a judge ruled Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could not prosecute him due to a conflict of interest – she’d hosted a 2022 fundraiser for Jones’ then-opponent.
Williams, who had to conflict out of some 68 criminal cases after taking office due to conflicts with his former law firm, said he was honored by the “confidence and trust” shown by the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council in considering hims for the role.
The council routinely identifies lawyers to serve as conflict prosecutors when conflicts of interest exist.
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Williams said he is ready to step in if the council calls on him.
“In my time as district attorney, our office has handled several conflict cases that resulted in convictions throughout the state,” he said.
Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the prosecuting attorneys’ council, confirmed to the New York Times that he considered Williams for the role. But he told The Times that Williams might have a conflict as well, after serving as one of four plaintiffs in litigation against the state’s new Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission.
The Republican-created commission – whose member appointments include several Jones appointees – aspired to regulate and discipline the state’s elected prosecutors.
It was sidelined when the Supreme Court of Georgia declined to review its proposed disciplinary rules, but at least two Georgia Republicans have pre-filed legislation they say will address the court’s concerns.
Susan McCord is a staff writer with The Augusta Press. Reach her at susan@theaugustapress.com
