August 25, 2023 Trump and co-defendants have surrendered in Georgia case

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis asked a judge on Thursday to schedule a trial for all 19 defendants charged in the Georgia election interference case for October 23, 2023. 

As part of her request, Willis noted that one of the defendants, Kenneth Chesebro, sought a quick trial under Georgia’s Speedy Trial Act. 

In response, the judge presiding over the case scheduled Chesebro’s trial to begin on October 23 — but the judge specified that the order does not apply to any other co-defendants at this time.  

Late Friday, another defendant, attorney Sidney Powell, also requested a speedy trial, according to a new filing.

How does Georgia’s speedy trial law work?

Every criminal defendant has the right to a “speedy trial.” 

Georgia, like all other states, has its own law stemming from that constitutional right. Under Georgia law, any criminal defendant has the right to demand a trial within weeks of being indicted. 

The date on which their trial begins is then dictated by “terms” of the court — the schedule for when each state court hears cases. In Fulton County, new “terms” begin on the first Monday of every other month, as long as there is a jury available. 

If the trial does not begin by that date, the defendant is automatically acquitted of all charges.

But cases can still be delayed by pre-trial disputes and other issues, and prosecutors typically don’t bring indictments in high-profile cases unless they are prepared to go to trial quickly. 

How does this affect Trump’s case?

A defendant indicted during the current term who asserts their right to a speedy trial must go to trial by the first Monday in November.  

That is why after Chesebro asserted his right to a speedy trial, Willis asked the judge to schedule an October trial date — and the judge only ordered that Chesebro’s trial begin in October. Trial dates for every other defendant have not yet been determined.

Some legal experts have cast doubt on whether an October trial date is realistic. 

Other defendants in Trump’s case think the October date is too soon, and forcing other defendants to prepare for trial in such a short time period may raise constitutional issues, according to CNN legal analyst Elie Honig. 

Lawyers for Trump told the judge that they oppose the proposed October 23 trial date, and will attempt to separate his Georgia case from Chesebro, who wanted to speed up the trial date. 

Andrew Fleischman, a partner at the Georgia law firm Sessions & Fleischman, said he doubted the judge would force the other defendants to commit to a trial in October. He noted that there’s a lot of evidence in this case, including “millions of pages” of documents. 

Sidney Powell conducts a news conference at the Republican National Committee on lawsuits regarding the outcome of the 2020 presidential election on November 19, 2020.

Sidney Powell, a lawyer who was charged alongside former President Donald Trump in a racketeering case in Fulton County, Georgia, is seeking a speedy trial, according to a new court filing.

One of the other 19 defendants charged in the election interference case, Kenneth Chesebro, has also sought a speedy trial. A judge recently set his trial date for October 23.

Some context: Georgia’s Speedy Trial Act builds on the Sixth Amendment protection for criminal defendants. Under the Georgia law, any criminal defendant has the right to demand a trial within weeks of being indicted. 

But cases can still be delayed by pre-trial disputes and other issues, and prosecutors typically don’t bring indictments in high-profile cases unless they are prepared to go to trial quickly. 

CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz contributed reporting to this post.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said she is prepared to begin providing discovery in the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies by September 15, according to a court filing.

Willis requested that attorneys for the defendants “provide a USB drive that is at least 2 terabytes large for copying of the initial batch of discovery” by September 5, the filing states.

President Joe Biden speaks to reporters while on vacation near Lake Tahoe in California on Friday.

President Joe Biden weighed in Friday on former President Donald Trump’s mug shot, calling his predecessor a “handsome guy.”

Trump became the first former president with a mug shot when he was placed under arrest at the Fulton County jail on Thursday evening.

Trump was booked on 13 counts stemming from his efforts to reverse Georgia’s 2020 election results — including racketeering, conspiracy charges and soliciting a public official to violate their oath of office.

It is the fourth time this year that he has faced criminal charges.

Harrison Floyd, one of President Donald Trump’s 18 co-defendants in the Georgia 2020 election subversion case, will remain in the Fulton County jail for now.

During his first appearance in court Friday afternoon, Judge Emily Richardson told Floyd that she would not be setting bond because Floyd had already been indicted and assigned to Judge Scott McAfee, who would address bond moving forward. 

Richardson also informed Floyd of his rights and read the charges that he is facing during the brief virtual appearance.

Floyd does not have representation and told the judge that he could not afford a private attorney. Richardson told Floyd he did not meet the eligibility requirements for obtaining a public defender. He appeared over video conference in a large, empty room dressed in a prison uniform.

When a bond release was denied, Floyd objected, arguing that he voluntarily surrendered. 

Floyd also said he had yet to be read his Miranda warning. 

When asked if he had been advised of the charges against him, Floyd said he had and that “the DA’s office pulled me aside yesterday” to go through the charges.  

Prosecutors for District Attorney Fani Willis attended the hearing and told the judge they had nothing further to add. 

Floyd is charged with three state crimes – violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, influencing a witness, and conspiring to solicit false statements.

Prosecutors say Floyd participated in a plot to pressure an Atlanta election worker into falsely admitting that she committed massive fraud against former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

Floyd is also facing a simple assault charge in a separate case for allegedly assaulting an FBI agent who came to serve him a subpoena to testify before a federal grand jury in Washington, DC, CNN previously reported. 

In that case, Floyd is alleged to have threatened two FBI agents who served him the subpoena at his apartment in Rockville, Maryland on February 23 by running after them and “striking” one agent “chest to chest.”

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows speaks to reporters following a television interview, outside the White House in Washington, DC, on October 21, 2020.

Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows reached a $100,000 bond agreement with Fulton County prosecutors Thursday, one day after losing a legal bid to stave off his impending surrender and arrest in Atlanta. 

The rest of the terms appear to be boilerplate in nature, similar to the deals inked with other defendants.

Meadows surrendered Thursday to be booked on two charges: Violating Georgia’s RICO act and soliciting a public officer to violate their oath. He denies wrongdoing and is trying to move his case into federal court and get the charges dropped.

These alleged crimes by Meadows mainly revolve around his participation in the infamous phone call between Donald Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in early January 2021, when Trump pressured him to “find” enough votes to make him the winner. 

A hearing is scheduled for Monday, where a federal judge will weigh Meadows’ arguments about moving the case. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opposes the move, and issued subpoenas to key players who were on the infamous call, to potentially testify at the hearing.

Coffee County Republican Party Chair Cathy Latham shakes hands with Georgia businessman Scott Hall on January 7, 2021 at the county election office.

Cathy Latham, who served as an illegitimate elector for former President Donald Trump after the 2020 presidential election, has joined other defendants seeking to have the Georgia election subversion case moved to federal court.

In a court filing Friday, Latham said she was following the orders of then-President Trump.

“Mrs. Latham was acting pursuant to the guidelines of the Constitution … at the direction of the President of the United States,” it adds.

Latham, one of 19 defendants in the election subversion case against former Trump and others, was one of the 16 Republicans who served as “fake electors” in Georgia and allegedly signed paperwork claiming that Trump had carried the state when he had not.

Prosecutors say Latham’s efforts were part of the Trump campaign’s plan to subvert the Electoral College and nullify Joe Biden’s victory.

Latham, the former chair of the Coffee County GOP, also escorted individuals into the county election office where they breached voter data. Latham has said she was not “personally involved’ in the breach.

Harrison Floyd's booking photo taken by the Fulton County Sheriff's Office on Aug. 24.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee told reporters Friday that Harrison Floyd — one of the 18 co-defendants charged alongside former President Donald Trump in Georgia — does not have an initial appearance scheduled before him today and will remain detained until a bond is set.

McAfee said a docket entry indicating Floyd would appear before him Friday morning was wrong.

Floyd surrendered to the Fulton County jail Thursday without a bond agreement, including terms of release, in place. 

According to the judge, Floyd is entitled to a first appearance before him within 72 hours of being detained. An officer with the jail told CNN that because Floyd has already been indicted, he must appear before Judge McAfee for an initial appearance. 

Floyd will remain behind bars in the meantime.

Prosecutors with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office also arrived at the courtroom Friday but left shortly after speaking with staff there. 

More background: Floyd, a Maryland resident, is a leader of the organization Black Voices for Trump. According to court filings, Floyd arranged a meeting between Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman and Trevian Kutti, a former publicist to musicians R. Kelly and Kanye West.

During the meeting, videotaped by police, Kutti allegedly pressured and threatened Freeman during the meeting, citing baseless claims that she was involved in voter fraud.

Stephen Lee.

Stephen Lee, the Illinois-based pastor accused of intimidating a Georgia election worker after the 2020 election, has surrendered at the Fulton County jail – the last of 19 defendants charged in the Georgia election interference case to do so.

District Attorney Fani Willis charged Lee with five state crimes, including violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, influencing a witness, and conspiring to solicit false statements.

Prosecutors say Lee participated in a plot to pressure an Atlanta worker into falsely admitting that she committed massive fraud against former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

The election worker, Ruby Freeman, called 911 after Lee knocked on her front door in December 2020. When a police officer confronted Lee in his car, Lee said he was trying to “get some truth on what’s going on,” according to police body camera footage obtained by CNN.

Now that Lee has surrendered, all 19 people charged in the case, including Trump, have surrendered to law enforcement.

All but one of the defendants have surrendered after negotiating a bond deal with prosecutors, allowing for a fast booking process at the Fulton County jail. The 18 agreements allow each defendant to be out on bond during the course of their legal case, as opposed to remaining in custody.

The bonds range from $10,000 to former President Trump’s $200,000 agreement.

Each of the 18 defendants has also pledged to a standard set of conditions, including prohibitions on discussing the case with witnesses or one another.

The one defendant who did not negotiate before turning himself in, Harrison Floyd, remains in law enforcement custody while he awaits a bail hearing.

Here’s a list of the 19 people charged in the Georgia case, according to the indictment:

An audio recording of former President Donald Trump talking to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is played during a hearing by the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol in October 2022.

Georgia prosecutors allege that former President Donald Trump and his allies broke state laws during about a dozen separate incidents after the 2020 election, according to the indictment made public last Monday.

There are 41 overall charges in the case, which was brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The first charge involves Georgia’s anti-racketeering law known as the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO. But the next 40 non-racketeering charges stem from roughly a dozen key incidents after the 2020 election. 

The events, and the crimes the Trump group allegedly committed, break down this way:

Harrison Floyd, one of President Donald Trump’s 18 co-defendants in the Georgia 2020 election subversion case, will appear before a judge on Friday morning, according to online court records.

Floyd is set to appear in front of Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee at 11 a.m. ET. He surrendered to Fulton County deputies Thursday.

Floyd, a leader of the organization Black Voices for Trump, faces charges of violating Georgia’s racketeering act, conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings and influencing witnesses in the Fulton County district attorney’s investigation into efforts to overturn the election results in the state.

As CNN previously reported, Floyd had arranged a meeting between Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman and Trevian Kutti, a former publicist to musicians R. Kelly and Kanye West. During the meeting, videotaped by police, Kutti allegedly pressured and threatened Freeman, citing baseless claims that she was involved in voter fraud.

In this December 2021 photo, Trevian Kutti is seen in Miami, Florida. 

Trevian Kutti, the Illinois-based publicist accused intimidating a Georgia election worker after the 2020 election, surrendered Friday at the Fulton County jail.

District Attorney Fani Willis charged Kutti with three state crimes: violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, influencing a witness, and conspiring to solicit false statements.  

Prosecutors say Kutti participated in a plot to pressure an Atlanta worker into falsely admitting that she committed massive fraud against former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.  

Kutti sought a meeting in January 2021 with Ruby Freeman, a Fulton County elections worker who was falsely accused by Trump and his allies of rigging the election in Georgia. At that meeting, which was videotaped by police, Kutti tried to influence Freeman about the supposed fraud, according to the indictment. 

She is a former publicist to musicians R. Kelly and Kanye West. She previously said in social media posts that her meeting with Freeman was “cordial” and denied that any pressure or “bullying” had occurred.  

Former President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up as he leaves the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta on Thursday.

Jail records show former President Donald Trump was placed under arrest and booked at the Fulton County jail on Thursday night. 

The jail record says that Trump is 6 foot 3 inches tall and weighs 215 pounds. He is listed as having blue eyes and blonde or strawberry hair. He was booked as inmate No. P01135809.

Trump was at the jail for about 20 minutes.

Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat has said all 19 defendants in the Georgia election subversion case will go through the same process as any other criminal defendant in the county, which includes having fingerprints and mug shots taken.

Like several of his 18 co-defendants who have already surrendered at the jail, Trump’s processing was completed quickly because the former president and his lawyers negotiated his consent bond agreement ahead of Thursday’s surrender.

As part of the order, Trump agreed to a $200,000 bond and other release conditions, including not using social media to intimidate co-defendants and witnesses in the case. 

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks to the media in Atlanta on August 14 after a grand jury brought back indictments against former President Donald Trump.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has requested an October 23, 2023, trial date in the election subversion case she’s brought against former President Donald Trump and 18 of his supporters, according to a court filing Thursday.

Willis pointed to a request filed Wednesday by Trump co-defendant Kenneth Chesebro that sought a quick trial under Georgia’s Speedy Trial Act. Willis had told reporters last week when the indictment was returned that she would seek a trial that would begin within the six months.

Trump opposes Willis’ proposed timeline, his attorneys said in a filing this afternoon.

Legal experts at the time said that timeline was not plausible, especially as Willis has also indicated she’d like to try the 19 defendants all together. Lawyers for Trump and his co-defendants have previewed the likelihood of pre-trial disputes that will drag the proceedings out. Already three defendants are seeking to move the case to federal court, and the former president is expected to launch a similar bid of his own.

Another sprawling anti-racketeering case brought by Willis suggests that such a timeline is unrealistic. The case, alleging that Jeffrey Williams, the rapper Young Thug, and several of his associates violated Georgia’s RICO law – the key charge in the Trump case – has moved slowly to trial, despite a move by Williams to assert his right to speedy trial. 

Jury selection in the case began in January 2023, more than a year and a half the charges were brought. The jury selection remains ongoing and has lasted for more than six months.

Ellie Honig, a CNN legal analyst, said on CNN News Central that while Chesebro has every right to seek a quick trial under the Speedy Trial Act’s expedited timeframe, forcing the other defendants to prepare for a trial in such a short time period may raise constitutional issues. It could lead to possibility that the case’s defendants could be split up – or severed – from the case, Honig said.

Former President Donald Trump surrendered Thursday at the Fulton County jail, followed by five other co-defendants early Friday. Here’s a quick look at where things stand on surrenders in the Georgia 2020 election case:

Remember: The two co-defendants who still have to surrender face a noon ET Friday deadline.

Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Thursday.

Millions and millions of photographs have been taken of American presidents. But none like this.

The mug shot of Donald Trump instantly became one of the most iconic images of anyone who served as commander in chief.

Inmate No. P01135809 stares out of the booking photo, his face like stone. It’s impossible to know what Trump is feeling. But the image, taken after his motorcade drove into the Fulton County Jail, does not radiate his trademark bravado. His eyes bore into you. And the seal of the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office in a top corner is a reminder that Trump, for all his former power, is beholden to a process where he cannot control his own fate.

Trump’s mug shot – stark in its simplicity in a way that must surely grate for an ex-reality star for whom image is everything – is a metaphor for an election in which the potential Republican nominee and possible next president is facing 91 criminal charges across four cases. Trump denies all wrongdoing and is innocent until proven guilty in all cases, including in the racketeering accusations in Georgia related to his bid to overturn the 2020 election.

But in some ways, the mug shot, taken after he surrendered to the authorities on Thursday, represents the inevitable culmination of a life that has stretched and buckled the constraints around the presidency and frequently strained the law. More broadly, for a man who built his legend through paparazzi snaps in the New York gossip columns and who prizes Time magazines bearing his face, the Georgia mug shot, for all its indignity, represents yet another new frontier of notoriety. But for a nation still entangled in recriminations and fury whipped up by Trump, the photograph – which flashed immediately around the world – represents a special kind of tragedy.

Read the full analysis.

Former President Donald Trump walks to speak with reporters at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Thursday.

Donald Trump became the first former president with a mug shot when he was placed under arrest at the Fulton County jail on Thursday evening.

Trump was booked on 13 counts stemming from his efforts to reverse Georgia’s 2020 election results — including racketeering, conspiracy charges and soliciting a public official to violate their oath of office.

It is the fourth time this year the former president has faced criminal charges.

Here’s what to know about the historic day:

Robert Cheeley is seen in this undated photo.

Pro-Trump lawyer Robert Cheeley, who was indicted in the Georgia election subversion case, surrendered at the Fulton County jail around 3 a.m. local time, according to inmate records.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis charged Cheeley last week with 10 state crimes, including violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, perjury, and soliciting a public officer to violate their oath.  

After the 2020 election, Cheeley participated in public hearings before Georgia state lawmakers where he and other allies of former President Donald Trump pushed baseless fraud claims. At a Georgia Senate hearing in December 2020, Cheeley showed video that he falsely claimed contained “evidence” of vote-rigging in Atlanta that “should shock the conscience” of Georgians. 

Jeffrey Clark attends a hearing in the US Capitol in June.

Jeffrey Clark, the Trump-era Justice Department official who was indicted in Georgia after trying to use his federal law enforcement powers to overturn the 2020 election, surrendered at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta early Friday. 

Clark turned himself in around 1 a.m. local time, according to inmate records.

District Attorney Fani Willis charged Clark last week with two state crimes: violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law and attempting to commit false statements.

After then-President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, Clark drafted a letter, which was ultimately never sent, promoting false claims of voting irregularities and urged Georgia lawmakers to consider throwing out Joe Biden’s legitimate electors.

Clark lobbied Trump to make him the acting attorney general, so he could send the letter and have the Justice Department intervene in the Georgia election. Trump decided not to put Clark in charge after other senior Justice Department officials threatened to resign. 

He has denied wrongdoing. After Clark was indicted, a spokesperson for the think tank where he works issued a statement on his behalf, saying, he “was simply doing his job in 2020 and he doesn’t deserve to be subjected to this naked political lawfare, especially not by a publicity hound like Willis.”

Misty Hampton

Misty Hampton, a former election supervisor in Coffee County, Georgia, turned herself at the Fulton County jail to be booked on charges brought in the district attorney’s 2020 Georgia election meddling case.

Hampton is accused of participating in a conspiracy to allow supporters of former President Donald Trump to unlawfully access voter data and ballot counting equipment at the Coffee County election office. Hampton also faces the racketeering charge that is central to District Attorney Fani Willis’ case. 

Former President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before his departure from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Thursday.

Former President Donald Trump briefly addressed reporters after being placed under arrest and released on bond from the Fulton County jail on Thursday.

Trump described the criminal case against him as “a travesty of justice.” 

“We have every single right to challenge an election that we think is dishonest,” he said.

Trump also addressed the other criminal cases pending against him, saying, “ This is one instance but you have three other instances. This is election interference.”

Some background: His surrender in Georgia marked the fourth time this year the former president has turned himself in to local or federal officials after criminal charges were brought against him – episodes that had never been seen in the US before 2023.

In April, the former president was booked in New York on state charges related to a hush money scheme. In June, he surrendered at a Miami federal courthouse to face charges in special counsel Jack Smith’s probe into the mishandling of classified documents.

And earlier this month, Trump was placed under arrest in Washington, DC, and arraigned on charges brought by Smith in his investigation into attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

All of those cases could come to a head next year at the same time that Trump is running for president.

Mike Roman is seen in this undated photo.

Trump 2020 campaign official Mike Roman, who was indicted in the Georgia election subversion case, surrendered at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta. 

Roman turned himself in early Friday morning, according to county inmate records.

District Attorney Fani Willis charged Roman last week with seven state crimes, including violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, conspiracy to commit forgery, and conspiracy to file false documents.

While working for former President Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, Roman was involved in unsuccessful efforts to use slates of fake GOP electors to block the certification of candidate Joe Biden’s election victory. During the campaign, Roman promoted baseless claims of massive voter fraud 

Shawn Still is seen in this undated photo.

Georgia State. Sen. Shawn Still, who served as a fake elector in 2020 and was charged in the Georgia election subversion case, surrendered at the Fulton County jail, according to county inmate records.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis charged Still with seven state crimes, including violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, forgery, and impersonating a public officer.

Still was one of the 16 Republicans who served as “fake electors” in Georgia and signed paperwork claiming — illegitimately — that former President Donald Trump had carried the state. This was part of the Trump campaign’s plan to subvert the Electoral College process and nullify Joe Biden’s victory. 

After the charges were announced, Still’s lawyer Tom Bever said “the evidence at trial will show that Sen. Still is innocent as the day is long” and that “we look forward to our day in court to clear his good name.”

On Thursday, Still became the fourth of Donald Trump’s co-defendants to attempt to move his charges to federal court, saying he was acting at the direction of the former president and others.