2020 US election fraud: Ex-President Trump surrenders, mugshot taken, released later
Friday, 25 August 2023 (10:35 IST)
Former US President Donald Trump has been booked at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta, Georgia, on charges that he conspired to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
When he arrived at the jail on Thursday, his fingerprints and a booking photo, or a mug shot, were also taken, marking a historic first.
Trump, who didn't require a photo taken as he surrendered to law enforcement authorities in other cases, was booked as inmate no. P01135809, according to Fulton County jail records.
The Fulton County prosecution is the fourth criminal case against Trump since March, when he became the first former president in US history to be indicted.
Since then, he's faced charges in Florida and Washington, and this month, in Georgia.
The booking process roughly took 20 minutes and Trump left the jail immediately after that.
He then spoke to reporters at the airport before departing for New Jersey, calling the case a "travesty of justice."
He said he had every right to challenge "an election we think is dishonest," saying the criminal charges brought against him were "election interference."
Trump surrenders in Atlanta jail
Trump landed in Atlanta shortly after 7:30 p.m. local time (23:30 UTC) and was driven through the city's rush-hour traffic to jail.
He wore his signature white shirt and red tie and offered a wave and a thumbs up as he descended the steps of his private plane at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Trump agreed to $200,000 (€184,000) bond and other conditions for release and had until Friday, as was the case for all his co-defendants, to turn himself over to authorities.
As Trump made his way to Atlanta, his campaign sent a message saying: "I'm writing to you from Trump Force One, on my way to Atlanta where I will be ARRESTED despite having committed NO CRIME."
Trump skipped the first Republican presidential primary debate on Wednesday, writing last week on his social media platform, Truth Social, that "The public knows who I am."
What is Trump accused of?
Trump and 18 co-defendants were indicted earlier this month in Georgia over their efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.
They were charged under a racketeering statute, the same laws normally used to prosecute gang members and organized crime.
Trump is accused of putting pressure on Georgia officials to find him new votes in the battleground state.
Many of his co-defendants are accused of illegitimately claiming to be official electors and signing fake election certificates in favor of Trump.
