Surrender, Dorothy
A quick breakdown of all of the critical legal events in Fulton County in the last 24 hours, including links to all of the necessary legal documents and mugshot photos
A lot happened today, so let me explain all of the major legal moves. Donald Trump announced late this afternoon, via his Truth Social media platform, that he planned to arrive at the Fulton County Jail at 7:30 pm/ET to surrender on his impending RICO charges. He also insulted District Attorney Fani Willis, calling her a "lowlife district attorney," and repeated false claims about the 2020 election.
This evening the former President of the United States surrendered to the Fulton County Jail, and was booked, processed and released on 200,000 bond. Trump used a commercial bail bondsman in Atlanta, Georgia to help post the bond amount. It’s a pretty safe assumption to say that Trump “self reported” his height and weight, because Fulton County lists him as 6’3” and 215 pounds. Below is the first mugshot ever taken of a former president, and the first one done for Donald Trump, despite his three other other ongoing criminal cases.
Mark Meadows, who faces two felony counts in the indictment, was also processed and released on 100,000 bond today. Meadows, a former North Carolina congressman, faces two counts in the 41-count indictment, including violation of Georgia's RICO law and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer. Meadows sought to move the Fulton County case to federal court, arguing that the charges filed by prosecutors involve actions he took while he served in the federal government. Meadows also filed a request with the federal court, seeking to stay his arrest in Fulton County, but the federal judge refused to do so on Wednesday.
Harrison Floyd, the former Director of Black Voices for Trump, is accused of conspiracy to solicit false statements and influence witnesses, but he is the only defendant in this case to surrender without negotiating bail in advance. According to court filings, Floyd was arrested earlier this year in Maryland after he allegedly assaulted an FBI agent who was serving him a grand jury subpoena. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that Floyd is being detained at the Fulton County Jail, since he has no bond agreement. It looks like Floyd will be spending some time in the clink.
More than half of those indicted have surrendered
Twelve of the 19 defendants in Trump’s RICO Georgia case have now surrendered to authorities in Fulton County. The deadline for each person indicted is Friday, August 25, by noon. Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows turned himself in this afternoon, and shortly after he arrived, Harrison Floyd arrived at the Fulton County jail to surrender.
Here are the people who have already surrendered as of Thursday evening:
Donald J. Trump, former President of the United States
Kenneth Chesebro, former Trump campaign attorney
John Eastman, Trump-allied attorney
Jenna Ellis, former Trump attorney
Rudy Giuliani, former Trump attorney
Mark Meadows, former White House Chief of Staff
Harrison Floyd, former leader of Black Voices for Trump
Scott Hall, 2020 Fulton County Republican poll watcher
Cathy Latham, former leader of the Republican Party in Coffee County, Georgia
Sidney Powell, former member of Trump’s election legal team
David Shafer, alleged fraudulent Republican elector
Ray Smith III, attorney
Here are Trump’s co-defendants who have not surrendered (by time of publication):
Robert Cheeley, Atlanta Attorney
Jeffrey Clark, former US Assistant Attorney General
Misty Hampton, former Coffee County Elections Director
Stephen Lee, Lutheran pastor from Illinois
Michael Roman, former Trump staffer
Shawn Still, alleged fraudulent Republican elector
Trevian Kutti, former publicist for Kanye West
Chesebro Requests Speedy Trial
On Wednesday, Kenneth Chesebro, through his attorneys, filed a motion for speedy trial in order to pressure the Fulton County DA into trying this entire case very quickly. Under US and Georgia Law, a defendant has a right to request a speedy trial, which means that the defendant is tried for the alleged crimes within a reasonable amount of time after being arrested. In Georgia, if the defendant is not tried when the demand for speedy trial is made or at the next regular court term, then the defendant will be acquitted of the charges. Under Georgia law, a “term” is two months. It is likely that Chesebro intended to pressure Fani Willis into “rushing her case” and agreeing to a trial date before November.
District Attorney Fani Willis Calls Chesebro’s Bluff and Scares Trump
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis did not take a moment to blink following Chesebro’s request for a speedy trial. By noon on Thursday, Willis had filed her own motion with the court, proposing that the entire trial begin on October 23, 2023. While many may have criticized the amount of time in which Willis took to file indictments, it is clear that Ms. Willis was not going to make her accusations without being prepared to prove them - immediately. Chesebro’s risky move has indeed backfired on him, and now the proposed trial date is set within the next two months.
Trump Seeks to Sever Case from Defendants Who Request Speedy Trial
Trump said that he opposes Willis' "motion for entry of pretrial scheduling order" after she proposed an Oct. 23 trial start date, according to a new court filing. He also notified the court that he intends to file a motion to sever his case from Kenneth Chesebro or "any other co-defendant" who files a demand for a speedy trial. “President Trump…alerts the Court that he will be filing a timely motion to sever his case from that of co-defendant Chesebro, who has filed a demand for speedy trial, or any other co-defendant who files such a demand,” Trump’s attorney Steven Sadow wrote in response to Willis’s motion.
While I was writing this article, another judicial order came in that resolves part of this issue. Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee approved the Oct 23 trial date for Ken Chesebro, requested by District Attorney Fani Willis. While Chesebro is Trump’s co-defendant in Fulton County, the order specifies the expedited time frame does not apply to any of the other defendants in the case. While Cheseboro will proceed to trial, we will still await a ruling from a federal judge on Trump’s attempt to remove his case. Lawyers for Ken Chesebro now have a discovery deadline of Sept. 20…I hope the defense was really ready to play ball.
Next week looks to be even busier in terms of hearings involving Trump and a few of his co-defendants. Stay tuned to SHERO, where I will be covering all of the significant legal and political issues surrounding the four Trump indictments.
Amee Vanderpool writes the SHERO Newsletter, is an attorney, published author, contributor to newspapers and magazines, and an analyst for BBC radio. She can be reached at avanderpool@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @girlsreallyrule.
Paid subscriptions and one-time tributes embedded in each article allow me to keep publishing critical and informative work that is sometimes made available to the public — thank you. If you like this piece and want to support independent journalism further, you can forward this article to others, get a paid subscription or gift subscription, or donate as much as you like today.
I really, really hope that he is convicted. AND JAILED.
Look at all those shiny white privileged faces....betcha they disparage their base behind their faces...