In Washington, According to the sheriff’s office, former President Donald Trump and the other 18 people charged with state felonies over alleged attempts to rig Georgia’s 2020 election will be lodged in the Fulton County jail.
The booking and arraignment procedures are distinct in Fulton County, where a grand jury returned the indictment charging Trump and his 18 co-defendants on Monday. The sheriff’s office stated that all 19 suspects identified in the charging sheet are anticipated to be booked at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta, citing instructions from the Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office and the court overseeing the case.
“Remember that defendants are free to surrender at any time. The sheriff’s office stated that the jail is open around-the-clock.
After the indictment was made public on Monday, Willis stated that Trump and the other 18 defendants had until August 25 to turn themselves in to the police.
According to numerous sources who spoke with CBS News, talks are in progress for Trump to turn himself in, and according to two sources aware with the preparations, it’s probable that he will do so next week. The first Republican presidential debate, which will feature eight candidates, is scheduled for next Wednesday in Milwaukee, but it’s uncertain if Trump, who has met the requirements to take the stage, will attend.
Trump is accused of trying to illegally sway the results of the 2020 presidential election in his favor on 13 charges. In violation of Georgia’s racketeering legislation, the former president and 18 other people are accused of planning to rig Vice President Biden’s election victory there. The former president is also accused of lying, coercing Georgia’s secretary of state and state legislators into breaking their oaths, and plotting to commit forgery through the use of a fictitious slate of presidential electors.
There are a total of 41 counts in the 98-page indictment. Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, a former employee of the Justice Department named Jeffrey Clark, as well as attorneys Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, and Sidney Powell, have all been indicted. Additionally, according to the charging statement, there are 30 unidentified, unindicted co-conspirators who, along with Trump and his 18 co-defendants, “constituted a criminal organization” whose members engaged in “various criminal activities” with the aim of overturning Trump’s defeat in Georgia.
Due to the fact that the alleged activity in the indictment occurred while Meadows was serving as chief of staff, he is requesting that the case against him in Fulton County be transferred to federal court. Additionally, his attorneys stated in a court document that they want to submit a motion to dismiss the accusations.
Nothing Mr. Meadows is claimed to have done in the indictment is criminal per se, they argued, including setting up meetings in the Oval Office, contacting state officials on the President’s behalf, going to a state government office, and scheduling a phone conversation for the President. One would anticipate such behavior from the Chief of Staff of the President of the United States.
Giuliani said in a statement to CBS News that the case “is an affront to American Democracy and does permanent, irrevocable harm to our justice system.”
He declared, “The persons who have taken this case forward both directly and indirectly are the real criminals here.
Clark, according to a spokeswoman, is “a brilliant legal mind who has litigated cases of national significance in and out of government for decades.”
According to the spokesperson, Rachel Cauley, “Willis is going beyond her authority by interjecting herself into the activities of the federal government to pursue Jeff.”
Charles Burnham, Eastman’s attorney, disputed the indictment and said that the accused were taking part in political, not criminal, activities.
In a statement, he added, “Lawyers everywhere should be sleepless over this latest stunt to criminalize their advocacy.” This is a legal time bomb that will be difficult for lawyers to escape from forever. Dr. Eastman will contest this accusation in every forum at his disposal.
The criminal prosecution in Fulton County is now the second regarding attempts to obstruct the transition of presidential power following the 2020 election and the fourth to be brought against Trump this year. Four federal charges against the former president have been filed by special counsel Jack Smith in connection with his alleged attempts to maintain power.
