Former President Donald Trump is expected to surrender to authorities today in Georgia over the 2020 election fraud case, marking the first time television cameras will broadcast the criminal proceedings. Trump, 77 years old, is anticipated to turn himself in at the Fulton County Jail facing charges of extortion, conspiracy, and other offenses related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Unlike his previous surrenders in New York City, Miami, and Washington, D.C., it is expected that Trump will have his fingerprints taken and a mugshot captured before posting a $200,000 bond, according to the New York Post.
Before his arrival, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee approved a request from four local television stations to allow live camera coverage and other recording technologies in the courtroom until September 8, as documents indicate. District Attorney Fani Willis previously stated her hope to conduct a trial for Trump and the eighteen co-defendants—including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani—within a week, as reported by The Hill. CNN noted that Trump is expected to leave his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey and travel to Atlanta about 24 hours before the deadline set by Willis on Friday afternoon.
The surrender process for the defendants at the Fulton County Jail occurs separately from any trials. Giuliani and several other defendants turned themselves in earlier in the week. Speaking to CNN after a key figure was arrested on Wednesday, the former prosecutor’s lawyer said it was "far too early" to determine a defense strategy. All defendants named in the indictment last week, including Trump, are accused of running a “criminal scheme” to overturn the election results in one state. CNN reported that phone calls from the weeks following the 2020 election indicate Trump pressured state election officials to assist him in his mission.
The report added that former President Trump's staff hastily filed baseless lawsuits to contest the results in Georgia, and attempted to influence state legislators to replace votes for former Vice President Joe Biden with Republican electors. "Can you believe it? I will be going to Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday to be arrested by radical left prosecutor, Fani Willis, who presides over one of the largest murder and violent crime disasters in American history," Trump remarked according to the New York Post.
This surrender of a 2024 presidential hopeful follows several hours after he notably skipped the first Republican debate. He boasted on an alternative social media platform earlier this week, stating, "the public knows who I am and what a successful presidency I had." It is noteworthy that when Trump was called to trial in New York on charges related to hush-money payments, the judge rejected media requests to place cameras in the courtroom.
