Election Fraud: Former US President Donald Trump arrested, released after paying $200,000 bond
As part of the booking procedure, 77-year-old Donald Trump had his mugshot captured. This is an unparalleled event in the history of both former and sitting US presidents. In the photograph, Trump appeared in a dark blue suit, accompanied by a white shirt and a red tie, his expression marked by a stern scowl directed at the camera.
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FollowFormer US President Donald Trump was taken into custody at a Georgia detention facility, facing charges of racketeering and conspiracy. Following a brief stint inside Atlanta's Fulton County Jail, lasting less than half an hour, Trump departed in a motorcade bound for the airport. This arrest marked a significant moment as Trump, along with 18 co-defendants, stands accused of collaborating to overturn the 2020 election results in the southern state.
Trump spent approximately 20 minutes at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta before being released upon his compliance with a $200,000 bond and additional release conditions. These conditions, including refraining from using social media to intimidate co-defendants or witnesses in the case, had been previously arranged by his legal team.
To cover the bond, the former president contributed 10 per cent of the amount and collaborated with a local Atlanta bonding company, Foster Bail Bonds LLC, as reported by CNN.
During the booking process, Trump, a 77-year-old and a frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, had his mug shot taken, an unprecedented event for any former or serving US president. In the photograph released by the sheriff's office, he wore a dark blue suit, white shirt, and red tie, scowling at the camera.
Addressing reporters after his arrest, Trump described it as a "very sad day for America" and claimed that the situation was a "travesty of justice," asserting his innocence.
Trump shared his mug shot on his Truth Social platform with the caption "Election Interference" and a link to his campaign website. In the records of the Fulton County Jail, he was assigned the inmate number "PO1135809" and listed with a height of six feet three inches (1.9 meters), a weight of 215 pounds (97 kilograms), and his hair colour as "Blond or Strawberry."
This arrest marked Trump's fourth criminal indictment since April, setting the stage for an unprecedented year with multiple court appearances while he simultaneously pursues another White House campaign. Notably, Trump had managed to avoid having a mugshot taken during his previous arrests earlier in the year.
His arrest came one day after he declined to participate in a televised debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, featuring eight of his rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, most of whom pledged support for him even if he were a convicted felon.
Security measures were heightened during Trump's booking at the Fulton County Jail, which had been under scrutiny for inmate deaths and poor conditions.
Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney who filed the extensive racketeering case, had set a deadline for Trump and the other 18 defendants to surrender by noon on Friday. Trump and 11 others had surrendered by that point.
Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff, surrendered on Thursday and was released on $100,000 bond. Rudy Giuliani, former New York mayor and Trump's personal lawyer during his presidency, had been booked and released on Wednesday.
John Eastman, a conservative lawyer accused of devising a plan to present a false slate of Trump electors to Congress from Georgia instead of the legitimate Biden ones, had also been booked and released.
A few dozen supporters of the former president gathered outside the jail, expressing their belief that this was a politically motivated prosecution.
Trump became the first US president in history to face criminal charges. His upcoming trials, if they proceed next year, may overlap with the Republican presidential primary season beginning in January and the campaign for the November 2024 White House election.
Special counsel Jack Smith proposed a January 2024 start date for Trump's trial on charges of conspiring to overturn the last election, which was marked by false claims and the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by his supporters. Trump's attorneys suggested a start date well after the election, in April 2026.
Initially, the Georgia district attorney proposed a March 2023 start for the racketeering case, coinciding with Trump's scheduled trial in New York on charges related to hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. However, on Thursday, she proposed an October 2023 start for all 19 defendants, a proposal met with objections from Trump's legal team. The Florida case, in which Trump is accused of taking classified government documents upon leaving the White House, is set to begin in May.
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