Donald Trump to surrender in Fulton County over Georgia election subversion charges

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Former US President Donald Trump is set to surrender on Thursday in Fulton County to face a slew of charges linked to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 US election results in Georgia. This marks the fourth instance this year that the former president has confronted criminal charges.

Trump is expected to travel from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey to the Fulton County jail in Atlanta in the state of Georgia.

His surrender at the facility follows in the footsteps of his 18 co-defendants who have already turned themselves in. Given prior negotiations, the processing of Trump’s entry and processing in the jail is expected to be swift. Unlike other cities, Fulton County is expected to fully process the former president which includes taking his mugshot and fingerprints.

Trump’s legal team has already negotiated a $200,000 bond and additional release conditions, including refraining from using social media to target co-defendants and witnesses involved in the case.

Personnel changes

Ahead of this surrender, Trump’s legal team underwent another change. Drew Findling, his former top Georgia lawyer, has been replaced by Steven Sadow, an Atlanta-based attorney renowned for his specialisation in white-collar and high-profile defence cases. While the switch was attributed to tactical considerations rather than Findling’s performance, insiders praised Sadow’s prowess as the “best criminal defence attorney in Georgia.”

Series of surrenders

The impending surrender in Georgia adds to a sequence of events that have altered the landscape of US’s political and legal history. This year alone, Trump has surrendered three times before local and federal officials in response to a multitude of charges.

In April, he was booked in New York over state charges related to a hush money scheme. In June, he faced surrender at a Miami federal courthouse, over special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation concerning the mishandling of classified documents. The trajectory continued this month with Trump’s arrest in Washington, DC, as he was arraigned on charges stemming from Smith’s inquiry into the 2020 election’s overturning attempts.

Trump’s co-defendants

The former US President has 18 co-defendents who have already surrendered in connection to the Georgia case.

Trump’s former attorneys, including Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis, were booked on Wednesday. John Eastman, another ex-Trump attorney, had surrendered a day earlier.

Trump’s legal troubles are co-inciding with his re-run for the 2024 US Presidential elections. He is currently the frontrunner in the Republican Party according to local polling data.