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Trump Turns Himself In at Fulton County Jail; Posts Mug Shot on Social Media
Edited by: TJVNews.com
Former President Donald Trump made headlines once again as he turned himself in at the Fulton County Jail on Thursday night, as was reported by NBCNews.com. The move was in connection with felony charges related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state of Georgia. This marked Trump’s fourth arrest since April and a historic moment as he became the first former American president to have his mug shot taken, the NBC News report stated.
🚨President Trump makes 1st statement since leaving jail:
“You should be able to challenge an election.
I thought the election was a rigged election, a stolen election.
What has taken place here is a travesty of justice.”
pic.twitter.com/vjAKq3gISv— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) August 25, 2023
Trump’s arrival at the jail, in a presidential-style motorcade shortly after 7:30 p.m. ET, was a highly anticipated event. According to jail records, he was swiftly booked, fingerprinted, photographed for a mug shot, and subsequently released, all within about 20 minutes. NBC News reported that Trump’s departure from the jail was accompanied by strong statements to the media, where he decried the situation as a “travesty of justice.” He maintained his innocence, asserting that he and his team had every right to challenge what they believed to be a dishonest election.
The arrest itself was a significant step in a state that had been a focal point of Trump’s claims of election fraud. As was reported by NBC News, despite facing resistance from Georgia’s Republican governor and top election officials, Trump’s persistent denial of the election’s legitimacy played a role in the subsequent loss of Republican control in the U.S. Senate during the January 5, 2020 runoff election.
Trump’s journey to the Fulton County Jail began at his summer residence in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he left shortly before 4 p.m. ET. NBC News reported that he traveled to Atlanta on his private plane, setting the stage for his indictment on racketeering and conspiracy charges. Even prior to his arrest, Trump had taken to his social media platform, Truth Social, to make his thoughts known, including criticisms of the District Attorney Fani Willis and his perception of the crime rate in Atlanta, the report added.
“What has taken place here is a travesty of justice,” Trump told reporters speaking on the tarmac moments before boarding his plane to leave Atlanta, according to the NBC News report. “We did nothing wrong at all and we have every single right to challenge an election we think is dishonest,” he said.
“I have to start getting ready to head down to Atlanta, Georgia” to “get ARRESTED by a Radical Left, Lowlife District Attorney, Fani Willis,” Trump, 77, said Thursday afternoon in a post on his social media platform Truth Social..
Upon landing in Atlanta, Trump was greeted by cameras and responded with a thumbs-up gesture as he disembarked from his plane at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the NBC News report indicated. Subsequently, he was processed at the jail and released under the terms of a $200,000 bond agreement that had been negotiated with Willis’ office in the days leading up to his surrender.
Trump’s booking records included details such as his height, weight, and other personal information. Interestingly, his weight was noted as 29 pounds lighter than at his last White House physical examination in 2020, according to the NBC News report. However, the source of this information remains unclear and had already appeared online before Trump’s actual arrival at the jail.
The majority of Trump’s 18 co-defendants in the sprawling case have already surrendered, including his former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who was booked Thursday afternoon before being released under the terms of his $100,000 bond agreement, as was reported by NBC News.
As the legal process unfolds, Trump’s legal team underwent changes, with attorney Drew Findling being replaced by attorney Steven Sadow. NBC News reported that Sadow expressed a strong defense stance on behalf of Trump, stating that the former president should never have been indicted and that he is innocent of all charges. Despite this, the case’s trial date is yet to be determined.
The legal proceedings also witnessed a back-and-forth regarding trial dates. While Willis initially suggested a trial date in March, she later recommended October 23 after one of the defendants in the case, Kenneth Chesebro, filed a motion for a speedy trial, the NBC News report said. Trump objected to this, arguing for a delay in the trials until after the 2024 presidential election. This led to a motion to sever his case from Chesebro’s and other co-defendants who shared a similar demand.
In a late ruling, Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee endorsed Chesebro’s request and the DA’s proposed trial date, clarifying that the deadlines did not yet apply to any co-defendants, as was indicated in the NBC News report. With multiple layers of legal maneuvering and the high-profile nature of the case, the ongoing saga of Trump’s legal battles continues to capture the nation’s attention.
