The defendants in the case had until Friday at noon to present themselves in, according to district attorney Fani Willis.
On Thursday, former President Donald Trump turned himself in to Georgian authorities, setting up a prime-time window for his most recent court appearance related to his efforts to rig the 2020 presidential election.
One day before the deadline set by District Attorney Fani Willis, Trump surrendered to authorities at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta. This month, her agency filed an indictment against the former president and 18 other individuals in connection with what the prosecution describes as a large-scale “criminal enterprise” intended to rig Georgia’s 2020 presidential election. Among the charges are forgery and racketeering.
Trump insulted Willis and disclosed his reporting time in the hours leading up to his arrest.
“I have to start getting ready to head down to Atlanta, Georgia, where Murder and other Violent Crimes have reached levels never seen before, to get ARRESTED by a Radical Left, Lowlife District Attorney, Fani Willis, for A PERFECT PHONE CALL, and having the audacity to challenge a RIGGED & STOLEN ELECTION,” Trump wrote in a post on the social media website Truth Social. “THERE IS IRREFUTABLE EVIDENCE! Time of arrest: 7:30 p.m.
In recent days, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office has erected security barriers around the jail and issued a “hard lockdown” alert in anticipation of Trump’s arrest.
Trump’s bond has been set at $200,000. As part of his pretrial release conditions, he is not allowed to threaten the other defendants or the witnesses in the case. In recent days, a group of suspects have turned up before the police, including bail bondsman Scott Hall and John Eastman, who is accused of being a key player in the drive to annul the election.
Many of the former president’s attorneys, advisers, and staff members who allegedly attempted to keep him in office are listed as co-defendants on the complete list, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, attorney Sidney Powell, and former Justice Department employee Jeffrey Clark.
As they filed requests to have their charges transferred from state to federal court, Clark and Meadows attempted to have their arrests postponed, but Willis rejected their request this week.
In an email to Meadows’ lawyer on Tuesday, Willis stated, “I am not granting any extensions.” “I offered folks two weeks to turn themselves up to the court. Your client shares the same characteristics as every other criminal defendant in this court.
Prior to Willis’ deadline on Friday, more than half of Trump’s co-defendants have already turned themselves in to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.
Willis requested a trial start date of October 23 for all defendants in a court filing on Thursday after Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro called for a “speedy trial” on Wednesday.
The trial for Chesebro was scheduled to start on October 23 by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee the following day. The other defendants, however, are not covered by that injunction.
Trump’s lawyer made a motion to separate the former president from the other defendants in response to Chesebro’s demand for a quick trial and Willis’ suggested trial start time.
Trump’s legal team stated in court records that they opposed pretrial scheduling and declared their aim to “sever” his case from Chesebro and other defendants who call for quick trials.
