HAPPENING TODAY: Trump to surrender to GA authorities in election case
Ex-president set to be arrested for fourth time this year
Former President Donald Trump on Thursday will turn himself in to Georgia authorities in Fulton County’s election interference case. It will be his fourth time being arrested this year.
District Attorney Fani Willis gave Trump and his 18 co-defendants until noon on Friday, August 25 to voluntarily surrender. Several of them, including his former attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, have already done so.
Trump continues to deny any wrongdoing, saying on his social media platform this week that no one has fought for election integrity like he has. “Therefore, I will proudly be arrested [Thursday] afternoon in Georgia,” he said.
He is expected to put up a $200,000 bond.
Georgia’s booking process has so far been more transparent than New York and Washington, other jurisdictions where the former President is also facing charges. Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat says these defendants, while high-profile, will be processed just like any regular defendant.
In other words, Trump can expect to be fingerprinted and have his mugshot taken when he arrives at the Rice Street Jail Thursday afternoon.
The booking comes less than 24 hours after Trump’s rivals squared off in the first Republican debate of the 2024 campaign. While Trump was not onstage, his legal problems and his candidacy were a topic of discussion.
But these criminal indictments seem to be only cementing his frontrunner status. As he maintains a huge nationwide lead, he has hinted that he will skip future Republican debates and he has not been campaigning in the early primary states.
It remains to be seen how he will navigate his campaign calendar with his growing legal calendar.