Judge dismisses 2020 election interference case against Trump, granting Georgia's request

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Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued an order dismissing the 2020 election interference case against President Donald Trump and his co-defendants after the state of Georgia had moved to drop the matter.

"The State having moved for an entry of nolle prosequi for all remaining defendants, the Court grants the motion," the order declares. "This case is hereby dismissed in its entirety."

Trump's lead Georgia defense counsel Steve Sadow described the case as "lawfare."

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"The political persecution of President Trump by disqualified DA Fani Willis is finally over. This case should never have been brought. A fair and impartial prosecutor has put an end to this lawfare," Sadow said in the statement.

Peter J. Skandalakis, who took over prosecution after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified from handling it, filed a motion to dismiss the case earlier Wednesday in order to "serve the interests of justice and promote judicial finality."

"This entire case, from the initiation of the District Attorney’s investigation in 2021 to the present, is without precedent," noted Skandalakis. "In my professional judgment, the citizens of Georgia are not served by pursuing this case in full for another five to ten years."

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The Georgia case yielded the iconic 2023 mugshot of then-candidate Trump.

"Never before, and hopefully never again, will our country face circumstances such as these. The case is now nearly five years removed from President Trump’s phone call with the Secretary of State, and two years have passed since the Grand Jury returned charges against President Trump and the eighteen other defendants," Skandalakis noted. "There is no realistic prospect that a sitting President will be compelled to appear in Georgia to stand trial on the allegations in this indictment. Donald J. Trump’s current term as President of the United States of America does not expire until January 20, 2029; by that point, eight years will have elapsed since the phone call at issue."

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The prosecutor explained why the other defendants in the criminal case would not be tried separately. 

"Severing President Trump from the remaining defendants and conducting separate trials, while simultaneously waiting for the conclusion of his term and addressing all of the aforementioned legal issues, would be both illogical and unduly burdensome and costly for the State and for Fulton County," Skandalakis wrote. "The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia lacks the resources to conduct multiple trials in this matter."

Fox News' Samantha Daigle and David Lewkowict contributed to this report

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.