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Georgia lieutenant governor Burt Jones will not face criminal charges for serving as one of the “alternate” electors who falsely swore that Donald Trump won the state in the 2020 presidential election, a special prosecutor announced on Friday.
Jones was a state senator at the time of the declaration.
“I find Senator Jones’ involvement and actions during the times in question to be within the scope of his duties as a Senator to address the concerns of constituents and that his participation in voting as an alternate elector on Dec. 14, 2020 was a result of relying upon the advice of attorneys and legal scholars,” Pete Skandalakis of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia said in a statement. “Therefore, this case does not warrant further investigation or further actions, and I consider the matter closed.”
The special prosecutor, who took the case in April, said Jones did not act with criminal intent and was relying on “the advice of attorneys and legal scholars.”
“While the advice may eventually be judged to be incorrect … Jones, like any other citizen, should not be punished for relying upon the guidance of counsel under these specific facts and conditions,” Skandalakis said.
Jones, who is thought to be considering a run for governor in 2026, celebrated the decision.
“I have always wanted to tell my story in front of a fair and unbiased prosecutor,” he told CNN. “I look forward to being able to focus on the work I was elected to do.”
In addition to claiming to be an alternate elector, Jones pushed for a special legislative session to overturn Biden’s narrow victory in Georgia.
A special purpose grand jury investigating Trump’s efforts in 2020 to subvert the election results recommended charges for Jones, but a judge barred Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from including Jones in her racketeering investigation of Trump and his allies, after the prosecutor held a fundraiser for one of Jones’s political opponents in 2022.
Three other false electors were indicted last August by a Fulton County grand jury on charges including racketeering, and they have pleaded not guilty.
Earlier this week, a Fulton County judge narrowed the scope of the election interference case against Trump, dropping two charges, arguing the counts, related to perjury or false statements, should fall under federal jurisdiction.
On Friday, Willis declined to appear before the Georgia Senate, as she challenges the legality of a subpoena from a Republican-led committee that is investigating her.
Willis has faced scrutiny, particularly on the right, including a Trump effort to disqualify her from the election case, for having a relationship with a prosecutor who was on the Trump case.
