THE CENTER SQUARE | MUST READ ALASKA
President Donald Trump surrendered, was processed,and released from the Fulton County Jail on Thursday, an historic day in America.
He faces charges brought by District Attorney Fani Willis that he tried to overturn the 2020 election results in the state.
Fulton County authorities charged Trump and 18 others, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former state Republican Party Chair David Shafer, as part of the effort. The Fulton County indictment of Trump is the fourth against the former president and the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Trump addressed reporters on the tarmac before boarding his aircraft bound for New Jersey.
“What has taken place here is a travesty of justice,” Trump said. “We did nothing wrong at all. They’re interfering with an election and there’s never been anything like it in our country before.
“And we have every right, every single right to challenge an election that we think is dishonest. So we think it’s very dishonest.”
Even before Trump formally surrendered to authorities at the Atlanta facility, the former president’s attorneys and prosecutors agreed to set a $200,000 bond.
While Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said she would like to see the case go to trial within six months, legal experts say that is a tall order.
“The idea that this case would go to trial in six months is optimistic, and I think it’s optimistic, even if you put aside that Donald Trump is facing three other indictments,” Jonathan Entin, a professor emeritus of law and adjunct professor of political science at Case Western Reserve University, told The Center Square.
Additionally, Shafer, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and former assistant U.S. Attorney General Jeffrey Clark want the case transferred to federal court.
“The Georgia indictment reflects the Sergeant Joe Friday mantra of ‘just the facts, ma’am’ and could end up being easier to prove than the latest federal indictment against Trump by avoiding trying to directly blame him for the chaos of Jan. 6,” civil rights attorney V. James DeSimone, of Los Angeles-based V. James DeSimone Law, told The Center Square via email.
“The task of prosecuting 19 defendants and proving acts occurring in other states may be a daunting one,” DeSimone added. “But by charging acts in other states, the indictment demonstrates how Trump and the alleged co-conspirators developed a plan to invalidate the popular vote in a sufficient number of states to alter the results of the election.
Other details:
- A hearing will take place later, at a time to be determined.
- Trump posted his mugshot to X (formerly known as Twitter), his first post on that platform since he was banned by former Twitter owners in January of 2021.
- The charges include violating the Georgia RICO Act—the Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations Act; Solicitation of Violation of Oath by a Public Officer and other charges.
Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee launched an investigation Thursday into whether the Department of Justice coordinated with the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office in Georgia on the fourth indictment of former President Donald Trump.
House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, sent a letter to Fulton County District Attorney Willis demanding all records of communication with the DOJ to determine whether it was “politically motivated.”
“Turning first to the question of motivation, it is noteworthy that just four days before this indictment, you launched a new campaign fundraising website that highlighted your investigation into President Trump,” the letter said. “Additionally, the forewoman of the special grand jury you convened to investigate President Trump earlier this year bragged during an unusual media tour about her excitement at the prospect of subpoenaing President Trump and getting to swear him in.”
The investigation comes the same day Trump turned himself in to the Georgia jail.
“Last week, the Fulton County Superior Court’s Clerk publicly released a list of criminal charges against President Trump reportedly hours before the vote of the grand jury,” the letter from Jordan said. “A Fulton County court has disqualified you from targeting current Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones as part of your probe on the grounds that you actively supported and held fundraising events for his Democratic opponent. And unlike officials in other jurisdictions, Fulton County officials ‘have suggested [they] will process [the former President] as [a] typical criminal defendant[], requiring mug shots and possibly even cash bond.’”
Notably, IRS whistleblowers recently testified that the DOJ interfered to protect the president’s son, Hunter Biden, in the legal investigation into his alleged tax, gun and other crimes.
Republicans kicked off a similar investigation into New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg after brought his charges against Trump. Bragg has a long history of anti-Trump comments and even ran for election on the promise to prosecute Trump.
Trump faces 91 total charges across indictments in New York, Florida, Washington, D.C., and now Georgia. Those charges are related either to Trump’s handling of classified documents, his alleged payments to Stormy Daniels, or his alleged work to overturn the 2020 election results.
The Georgia indictment features 41 charges against 19 of Trump’s alleged co-conspirators.
Trump has blasted all the indictments, calling them a political effort against the Republican frontrunner. Trump currently holds a wide lead over his primary challengers, most of whom promised at Wednesday’s debate to still support him for president even if he is convicted.
