Trump, 18 co-defendants in Georgia election case meet deadline for police booking

Supporters of former President Donald Trump gather in front of the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Aug 24, 2023. [AP Photo]

All 19 defendants in an election-fraud case in the Southeastern U.S state of Georgia, including former President Donald Trump reported to an Atlanta jail to be booked by police before a noon deadline on Friday.

After Trump's appearance at the Fulton County Jail on Thursday evening in which he posed for the first-ever mug shot of a former president, seven other defendants surrendered to police on Friday. Trump's other co-defendants reported to the jail earlier in the week.

Court records show that all of the 19 defendants except one posted bond, agreed to the bail conditions set by court officials, and were allowed to leave the jail after being booked.

Harrison William Prescott Floyd, who is accused of harassing a Fulton County election worker, remained in jail after turning himself in on Thursday.

It was not clear whether Floyd was denied bail or was not able to come up with the money to secure his release.

Federal court records said Floyd, who is active with the group Black Voices for Trump, was also arrested three months ago on charges of aggressively confronting FBI agents who had served him with a grand jury subpoena.

Trump paid a $200,000 bond his lawyers negotiated earlier this week with Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis.

The former president spent about 20 minutes in the Atlanta jail Thursday evening to be booked on felony charges of racketeering and conspiracy linked to his alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 reelection loss in Georgia.

It was the fourth time that Trump had been arrested and booked in the past five months.

Before boarding his plane at Atlanta's airport, Trump spoke briefly to reporters about his arrest.

"What has taken place here is a travesty of justice. We did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong, and everybody knows that," Trump said. "What they're doing is election interference."

Trump is facing 91 charges across the four indictments for his alleged actions before, during and after his single-term presidency ended in early 2021.

He faces 13 charges in Georgia, where Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee is expected to set arraignments for each of the defendants in the coming weeks. During an arraignment, the defendants typically appear in court for the first time and enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.

At least five of Trump's co-defendants are trying to move their cases to federal court, instead of being tried in Georgia.

Of those wanting to keep their trials in Georgia, at least two defendants are requesting speedy trials.

Trump's legal team has asked that Trump's case be separated from any co-defendant who seeks a speedy trial. Trump's lawyers have not yet proposed a date for the trial.

Regardless of when the trial in Atlanta starts, Trump is already facing weeks of criminal trials he would be obligated to appear at in the first half of 2024.

Trump has denied all wrongdoing and has said that the allegations leveled against him are a political witch hunt aimed at thwarting his 2024 campaign to reclaim the presidency.

Even with the array of charges he is facing, Trump is the leading contender for the Republican nomination to run for the presidency against the presumptive Democratic nominee, President Joe Biden.