Donald Trump to surrender in Georgia election fraud case as judge allows court cameras
Former President Donald Trump will surrender to authorities Thursday in Georgia in his 2020 election fraud case, which will mark the first time that television cameras will broadcast his criminal proceedings.
Trump, 77, is expected to turn himself in at Fulton County Jail on Thursday on 13 counts of racketeering, conspiracy, and other charges related to his efforts to invalidate the Georgia results of the 2020 presidential election.
Unlike his previous surrenders in New York City, Miami and Washington, DC, Trump is expected to be fingerprinted and have his mugshot taken before posting a $200,000 bond.
Ahead of his arrival, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee okayed a request from four local television stations to allow live cameras and other recording technology in the courtroom through Sept. 8, documents show.
McAfee’s ruling did not address whether cameras will be allowed at the trial or other upcoming proceedings.
District Attorney Fani Willis previously said she is hoping to hold arraignments for Trump and his 18 co-defendants — including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani — during the week of Sept. 5, The Hill reported.
Trump is expected to depart his Bedminster, NJ, golf club and travel to Atlanta with just about 24 hours to spare before Willis’ noon Friday deadline, CNN noted.
The surrender process for defendants takes place at the Fulton County Jail, separate from any arraignments.
Giuliani and several other co-defendants turned themselves in earlier in the week.
Speaking to CNN after the former’s high-profile arrest Wednesday, a lawyer for the former prosecutor said it is “very premature” to determine what his defense strategy will be.
All of the co-defendants named on the indictment last week, including Trump, are accused of operating a “criminal enterprise” to overturn the Peach State election results.
Phone calls from the weeks after the 2020 election indicate that Trump pressured state election officials to help his mission, CNN said.
The former president’s staff also scrambled to file baseless lawsuits to challenge the Georgia results, and attempted to sway state lawmakers to replace former Vice President Joe Biden’s votes with Republican electors, the outlet continued.
“Can you believe it? I’ll be going to Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday to be ARRESTED by a Radical Left District Attorney, Fani Willis, who is overseeing one of the greatest Murder and Violent Crime DISASTERS in American History,” Trump ranted on Truth Social.
The 2024 White House candidate’s surrender comes several hours after he was notably absent from the first GOP debate.
“The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had,” he boasted on the alternative social media platform earlier this week.
When Trump was arraigned in New York on charges related to hush-money payments, the judge denied media requests to have cameras in the courtroom.
A select group of photographers were allowed to take pictures a few moments before the real estate mogul pleaded not guilty, The Hill reported.
There were also no cameras present at Trump’s arraignments in Miami and Washington, where he was brought up on charges related to mishandled documents and the Jan. 6 insurrection, respectively.
In Fulton County, courtroom cameras are more common, The Hill explained.
Depending on the future proceedings, the county’s approach to courtroom media could offer public viewing of the bombshell trial.
