Former President Donald Trump is set to surrender on Thursday to face more than a dozen charges related to his efforts to reverse Georgia’s 2020 election results. This marks the fourth time this year that Trump has faced criminal charges.
Trump is expected to travel from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, to Atlanta to turn himself in at the Fulton County jail. Similar to his co-defendants, Trump’s processing at the jail is anticipated to be swift due to the prior negotiation of his consent bond agreement, which includes a $200,000 bond and other release conditions.
This surrender in Georgia follows three previous instances where the former president turned himself in after facing criminal charges. In April, he was booked in New York on state charges related to a hush money scheme. In June, he surrendered in Miami federal courthouse for charges related to special counsel Jack Smith’s probe into the mishandling of classified documents. And earlier this month, Trump was arrested in Washington, DC, on charges brought by Smith in his investigation into attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who initiated the racketeering case last week after a lengthy investigation, has requested Trump and the other 18 defendants to be arraigned next month. The deadline for surrender for defendants is noon on Friday.
Among the already surrendered defendants are former Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, and John Eastman.
The indictment against Trump includes 13 counts, such as racketeering, conspiracy, and solicitation of a public official to violate their oath of office. The racketeering charge alleges that Trump and the other defendants were part of a criminal enterprise attempting to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.
During his campaign to challenge the election results, Trump falsely claimed victory and exerted pressure on Georgia election officials, including Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, through phone calls. His campaign also filed baseless lawsuits and attempted to convince state legislators to nullify Joe Biden’s electoral votes and replace them with GOP electors. Additionally, Trump tried to persuade Vice President Mike Pence to recognize illegitimate GOP electors during the Electoral College certification in Congress on January 6, 2021.