The Georgia Election Case: Mugshot, Surrender, What’s in Store Next? – Great

Former President Donald Trump said he feels some sympathy for his co-defendants in the Georgia elections case, saying their “lives are destroyed” by the criminal charges.

“Those people that have been so unfairly dragged into this, these are high-quality people who don’t even know why they were brought in,” Trump said in an interview with Newsmax several hours after he was booked in a Georgia county jail.

“Those people have to be released. They have to be released from this horrible thing that they’re going through,” he added.

Trump is one of 19 defendants charged in a sprawling RICO indictment that accuses them of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 Georgia presidential election.

Trump also noted that some of his co-defendants “don’t have a lot of money, and some of them have almost nothing.”

The former president dodged a question about whether he sees his co-defendants as a “team.”

Trump is a billionaire, but he has not offered to contribute to the legal defense costs of the people charged alongside him in Georgia.

— Christina Wilkie

Trump has posted on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, for the first time since Jan. 8, 2021, when he was suspended from the site in the wake of the riot at the U.S. Capitol.

His new post: a picture of his mugshot above a caption reading “ELECTION INTERFERENCE” and “NEVER SURRENDER!”

Trump was a prolific, habitual user of Twitter throughout his presidency. Elon Musk lifted Trump’s ban after he bought the social media platform for $44 billion.

But Trump, who had already invested in a Twitter-like alternative platform called Truth Social, has stayed away until now. His latest post on X was the same one he had shared earlier Thursday evening on Truth Social.

— Kevin Breuninger

Trump has been booked and released, but he has not yet been arraigned on his 13 criminal counts in the Georgia election interference case.

Atlanta DA Fani Willis suggested in a court filing last week that Trump and the 18 other defendants in the case should be arraigned during the week of Sept. 5.

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office has said that some arraignments may be conducted virtually.

In the meantime, Trump’s attorney signaled that they will fight Willis over her proposal for an Oct. 23 trial date, just two months away.

Trump’s attorney said in a court filing earlier Thursday that they also plan to sever his case from co-defendant Kenneth Chesebro, who seeks a speedy trial.

Another co-defendant, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, faces a Monday morning hearing in U.S. District Court in Atlanta over his bid to move the state-level election case to federal court.

— Kevin Breuninger

Angry spectators at the Fulton County Jail mistook former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

—Chelsey Cox

Trump began using his mugshot to raise funds for his campaign shortly after being booked and heading home to New Jersey.

“Today, at the notoriously violent jail in Fulton County, Georgia, I was arrested despite having committed no crime,” Trump said in a “personal note” sent to backers, which featured his glowering jailhouse photo.

“The American people know what’s going on,” the message said. “What has taken place is a travesty of justice and election interference.”

— Dan Mangan

Former president Donald Trump’s plane has departed the Atlanta airport, on its way back to New Jersey.

Trump was booked quickly in the Fulton County Jail, and spoke briefly to reporters on the tarmac.

— Christina Wilkie

Trump’s official Truth Social account posted a picture of the former president’s mugshot, then pinned it to the top of his social media page.

“MUG SHOT — AUGUST 24, 2023,” read a caption in a simple serif font above the photo.

Typed below the mugshot were two more thoughts.

The first: “ELECTION INTERFERENCE.”

The second: “NEVER SURRENDER!”

The post also included the address to Trump’s campaign website.

— Kevin Breuninger

Trump has left Atlanta, but the extra security around the jail where he surrendered will stay in place for the time being, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

“Added security will remain in place at the Fulton County Jail. Officers will also continue to ensure a safe space for protestors,” the statement said.

“However, anyone who breaks the law will be arrested and face appropriate consequences.”

The sheriff’s office also said that it expected seven of Trump’s co-defendants in the Georgia election interference to surrender at the jail before the deadline Friday. Eleven other co-defendants have already surrendered earlier this week.

— Kevin Breuninger

A bomb threat was made at the Atlanta courthouse where Trump would stand trial.

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, which dealt with Trump’s booking at a jail, responded to the bomb threat at the Fulton County Courthouse.

K-9 units and police were en route to the courthouse, NBC News reported.

— Dan Mangan

Trump’s mugshot was released by authorities after he was booked at the Fulton County jail.

The photo is the first-ever mugshot of a former U.S. president to be made public.

Trump was booked earlier this year in three other criminal cases but did not have a mugshot taken.

— Dan Mangan

Trump declared his innocence and claimed that he was the victim of “election interference” after being arrested and booked in Georgia on his latest batch of criminal charges.

“I did nothing wrong,” asserted Trump, who slammed the case as a “travesty of justice” shortly before re-boarding his private jet.

“This is their way of campaigning,” Trump said, digging in on the baseless claim that his 91 criminal counts in four active cases were filed as part of a conspiracy to sabotage his presidential candidacy.

“We have every single right to challenge an election that we think is dishonest,” Trump told reporters on an Atlanta airport tarmac.

— Kevin Breuninger

Former President Donald Trump’s mugshot taken at the Fulton County jail is set to be a key tool for his campaign to raise money for his 2024 bid for president, and to help pay for his legal fees, according to one of his digital fundraisers.

“It will be the single most powerful photo in the history of online fundraising,” the pro-Trump digital fundraiser explained.

The person, who spoke to CNBC on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about private plans, suggested to CNBC that the Trump campaign would use that mugshot to raise money.

Virtually all of Trump’s fundraising appeals in the buildup to him being arrested in Georgia have called on donors to give toward his political operation, with about 10% of each of those donations going to his leadership PAC. That committee has spent millions of dollars on Trump’s legal fees so far this year.

— Brian Schwartz

Less than 20 minutes after he arrived at the Fulton County Jail, Trump departed the building in a motorcade that appeared to be headed back to an Atlanta airport.

It was not immediately clear if Trump would deliver remarks before re-boarding his private jet.

After his recent arraignment in a separate federal case in Washington, D.C., Trump briefly approached reporters on the airport tarmac to rail against President Joe Biden and the nation’s capital itself.

— Kevin Breuninger

Fulton County jail records listed Trump’s weight at 215 pounds — a significant decrease from the number listed on his final White House physical report.

In that June 2020 memo, then-White House physician Sean Conley wrote that Trump weighed 244 pounds.

That memo summarized data from exams conducted between November 2019 and April 2020.

— Kevin Breuninger

Trump was arrested and then released at the Fulton County jail at 7:44 p.m. ET.

He was booked, which included being fingerprinted and having his mugshot taken.

Trump made arrangements with a bondsman to be released on a $200,000 bond.

— Dan Mangan

Trump’s booking information has been posted on the Fulton County jail website.

The jail records list Trump as a six-foot-three-inch-tall White male weighing 215 pounds, with “Blond or Strawberry” hair and blue eyes.

The page was posted while Trump was traveling in a motorcade to the jail.

— Kevin Breuninger

Trump arrived in Atlanta with aides including his valet Walt Nauta, who is also his co-defendant in a federal criminal case where he is charged with retaining classified documents after leaving the White House.

Also joining Trump for the flight was his spokesman Steven Cheung and campaign officials Jason Miller and Susie Wiles.

Trump was greeted at the airport by his new criminal defense lawyer Steven Sadow.

Trump mouthed the words “Thank you very much,” and gave a thumbs-up sign as he descended stairs from his plane.

Miller posted photos from inside Trump’s motorcade on X, formerly known as Twitter. He did the same thing while accompanying Trump to his surrender several months ago in a criminal case in New York, where the former president is charged with falsifying business records.

— Dan Mangan

Trump is using a bail bondsman to post his $200,000 release bond, NBC News confirmed.

Charles Shaw of Foster Bail Bonds was paid $20,000 to post Trump’s bond, according to an agent there.

Shaw was at Fulton County jail awaiting Trump’s arrival.

Shaw’s celebrity clients have included T-I, Rick Ross, Gucci Mane, and Claud McIver, known as Tex McIver.

— Dan Mangan

Trump’s co-defendant John Eastman, an attorney, appeared at his disbarment hearing in California today, as the former president was traveling to Atlanta to be booked in their criminal case.

Eastman’s hearing was scheduled for earlier this week, but was postponed to allow him time to surrender in Atlanta.

Eastman is the target of a disbarment action for making false statements about purported election fraud, including during a “stop the steal” rally outside the White House on Jan. 6, 2021.

Eastman’s remarks “contributed” to provoking a crowd of Trump’s fans to storm the U.S. Capitol, the state bar alleges, in a failed attempt to block Congress from confirming Biden’s electoral victory,

– Dan Mangan

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a vocal Trump supporter on Capitol Hill, has arrived at the Fulton County jail ahead of former President Donald Trump’s booking on criminal charges.

The Georgia Republican told the Washington Post on Wednesday that she would be at Trump’s surrender.

“I’m going to be there because I support President Trump,” Greene said.

—Chelsey Cox

Trump’s private jet has touched down at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Trump is expected to head from the airport to Fulton County jail to be booked and processed.

— Kevin Breuninger

Trump’s campaign sent out a fundraising text as he headed to Atlanta to be booked.

“This is my last text to you before my arrest, Patriot,” the message said.

The text included what purport to be remarks “penned” by Trump.

“But today, I’m walking into the lion’s den with one simple message on behalf of our entire movement: I WILL NEVER SURRENDER OUR MISSION TO SAVE AMERICA,” Trump wrote.  

“I get ARRESTED FOUR TIMES within the span of just 5 months? Not only that, a judge has ruled that today’s spectacle may be televised for the entire world to see.”

— Dan Mangan

After a brief hold on an airport tarmac, Trump’s private plane took off from Newark, New Jersey, and is now en route to Atlanta.

The former president’s flight on his Boeing 757 jet, nicknamed “Trump Force One,” is expected to last about two hours.

— Kevin Breuninger

Trump will appear on the conservative news network Newsmax following his booking at a Fulton County jail, the network announced Thursday.

TV host Greg Kelly of “Greg Kelly Reports” is scheduled to interview the former president at 9 p.m. ET.

Newsmax and Kelly have been sympathetic to Trump, and the once fledgling channel has been the chief beneficiary of Trump’s feud with Fox News and Rupert Murdoch.

Kelly has described Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her team of prosecutors as “the real criminals” and “thugs.”

—Chelsey Cox

Trump vented about Atlanta prosecutor Fani Willis on social media as he traveled to Georgia to surrender at Fulton County jail.

“Why is there so much MURDER in Atlanta? Why is there so much Violent Crime? People are afraid to go outside to buy a loaf of bread!” Trump claimed in a Truth Social post.

“One big reason is that failed District Attorney, Fani Willis, who is campaigning and fundraising off ‘get Trump’ (much like the others!), doesn’t have the Time, Money, or Interest to go after the real criminals, even the REALLY Violent ones, that are destroying Atlanta, and its once beautiful culture and way of life,” Trump wrote.

In reality, violent crime in the Georgia capital is down more than 20% over last year, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported this week, citing Atlanta Police Department data.

“This is yet another SAD DAY IN AMERICA!” Trump added, a sentiment he has expressed after some of his other recent indictments.

— Kevin Breuninger

Kenneth Chesebro, one of Trump’s co-defendants in the Georgia election case, will head to trial on Oct. 23, a judge ruled Thursday.

“At this time, these deadlines do not apply to any co-defendant,” Judge Scott McAfee noted in his order.

Chesebro had asked the Fulton County Superior Court judge for a speedy trial on his charges in District Attorney Fani Willis’ election interference case.

Willis had suggested an Oct. 23 trial date earlier Thursday. Trump opposed that timeline, and his attorney notified the court that he will seek to sever his case from Chesebro or any other co-defendant who makes a similar request.

Trump has sought to push the potential trials in his other active criminal cases until after the 2024 presidential election.

— Kevin Breuninger

When Trump is booked after surrendering in Atlanta at the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, he will go through a process a number of his co-defendants have already experienced.

Trump will have his fingerprints taken and also will be photographed for a mugshot. That photo is expected to be publicly released soon after, a first for a former U.S. president.

Jail officials also will check to see if he has any outstanding warrants, according to a description of the process on the sheriff’s website.

Trump’s publicly released booking information will include a description of his race, height, weight, as well as hair and eye colors. It also will list the 13 felony counts he faces in the case.

After he is processed, the former president will be released on a $200,000 bond that was previously agreed to.

– Dan Mangan

A small rally outside of the Fulton County Jail this morning smelled like an “FBI setup” to some of his supporters, NBC News reported.

The event, which began around 10 a.m., was promoted by far-right activist Laura Loomer. But some MAGA fans theorized that undercover law enforcement officials and “Antifa” activists organized the rally as a ploy to arrest Trump supporters.

Social media posts claimed that “FBI plants” would try to disturb “peaceful plans.”

“Watch out for the FBI and antifa/blm to stir up a riot,” a social media user going by “Ultra Maga” wrote.

Another person said the event “could be a setup just like the J6,” referring to a false conspiracy theory that the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, which was, in reality, carried out by thousands of Trump supporters.

—Chelsey Cox

Trump left his residence at his club in Bedminster, New Jersey, to travel to Atlanta to be booked.

– Dan Mangan

Harrison Floyd, one of Trump’s 18 co-defendants, is in custody in Fulton County Jail because he did not hash out the details of his bond agreement ahead of his surrender, the sheriff’s office said.

Mark Meadows, Trump’s former White House chief of staff and current co-defendant in Georgia, also surrendered Thursday. But Meadows was booked and quickly released from the Atlanta jail because his attorneys had already negotiated his bond agreement with the district attorney’s office. Meadows’ bond was set at $100,000, according to the filing made public ahead of his surrender.

Floyd did not do this “and, therefore, is in custody at the Fulton County Jail,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Eight other co-defendants have yet to surrender before the deadline of noon Friday. The sheriff’s office said it expects all will do so.

Floyd is described in Willis’ indictment as an individual associated with the pro-Trump group “Black Voices for Trump.” He is charged with one count each of racketeering, conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings, and influencing witnesses.

— Kevin Breuninger

Trump, in a court filing, opposed a call by Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis to begin his trial on Oct. 23.

He also said he would seek to sever his case from that of co-defendant Kenneth Chesebro, whose request for a speedy trial led Willis to ask a judge to start the trial for all 19 defendants in late October.

— Dan Mangan

More than half of Trump’s 18 co-defendants have already surrendered at Fulton County jail.

The most recent addition to the list was Mark Meadows, Trump’s former White House chief of staff, who was booked and released earlier Thursday afternoon, jail records show.

The others include pro-Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro and Ray Smith; former Georgia Republican party officials David Shafer and Cathy Latham; and Scott Hall, a Georgia bail bondsman.

The co-defendants who have yet to surrender are Jeff Clark, Robert Cheeley, Michael Roman, Shawn Still, Stephen Lee, Harrison Floyd, Trevian Kutti and Misty Hampton.

All 19 defendants in Willis’ case must surrender by Friday at noon.

— Kevin Breuninger

Trump said in a social media post that he will be arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, at 7:30 p.m.

He made the announcement after touting the view count for his online interview with ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson, which was posted last night to counter-program the Republican primary debate that Trump skipped.

Trump’s post on Truth Social also repeated his false claims that the 2020 election was rigged against him.

— Kevin Breuninger