Former President Donald Trump and 18 allies have until August 25 to surrender at a court in Georgia after having been indicted on a total of 41 counts by a grand jury in Fulton County. This is the fourth time Trump, the only president ever to face criminal charges, has been charged. However, this charge is expected to be slightly different from the others as cameras are allowed in state courtrooms.
Georgia arraignment
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announced late Monday night that warrants have been issued for 19 defendants, and they all have until noon on August 25 to turn themselves in. Alleged co-conspirators named in the indictment include Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
For the previous three charges, Trump and any co-defendants were given about four or five days to turn themselves in. For this charge, they have about 11 days to surrender.
Previous indictments did not allow cameras in the courtrooms. The first charge was in New York, where audiovisual coverage of court proceedings is not allowed in any court.
The next two charges were held in federal courts in Miami and Washington, D.C., where reporting via electronic media is expressly prohibited. However, a federal judge may decide to allow cameras in some cases.
Georgian law states that photographs and television broadcasts of the courtroom are permitted, as long as it does not interfere with proceedings.
So the big difference in this indictment: “Cameras in the courtroom,” CBS News senior White House and political correspondent Ed O’Keefe said on “CBS Mornings” Tuesday. “Now we’re going to see him in a courtroom, show up to be charged, possibly. Not just him, but the 18 others charged in this case. And that has a huge effect on the public perception of all this.”
It’s unclear what date Trump will appear to face charges, but O’Keefe said he could strategically surrender on Aug. 23, the day of the first Republican presidential debate. “Where would you most like to be that day, in Milwaukee with everyone else or in that courtroom in Atlanta? He knows this has completely sucked the oxygen out of everyone else running. So now he can potentially use this even more to his advantage, “Oh,” said Keef.
Trump has not yet said if he will take part in the debate, but he will has refused to sign a vow that is necessary to participate.
Trump and the 18 other defendants face charges of voter fraud, racketeering and more in connection with alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Willis said the defendants “engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn the results of Georgia’s post-indictment presidential election.”
The allegations are based on violations of Georgia’s racketeering law against influenced and corrupt organizations. also known as RICO, with which a group of people can be charged with organized crime.
It is unclear when any of the other defendants will surrender.
Washington, D.C. arraignment
On Tuesday, August 1 Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury after special counsel Jack Smith presented evidence before the grand jury on Jan. 6, 2021, about the former president’s alleged involvement in what Smith called the “unprecedented assault” on democracy.
The former president faces four felonies: conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempted obstruction of an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. The indictment alleged that six other people were involved in the conspiracy.
on August 3 Trump was indicted at the Elijah Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, DC, and pleaded not guilty.
- The procedure took about 30 minutes
- No cameras were allowed in the courtroom – that’s the case for all federal courts
- Trump entered through a hidden entrance
- No mug shot was taken
- In the absence of cameras, a sketch was made of Trump in court
Sketch by William J. Hennessy, Jr.
The six alleged co-conspirators were not named in the indictment, but at least five of them are lawyers, according to the document.
Miami arraignment
On June 9, the Ministry of Justice made public are charge of Trump and his aide Walt Nauta. The charge detailed charges both faced over handling of sensitive government data after the former president left the White House.
This was the first time in history that a former president was indicted by the Justice Department.
On June 13, Trump appeared for his arraignment in a federal court in Miami and pleaded not guilty for all 37 crimes he faced.
- The procedure took 45 minutes
- No cameras were allowed in the courtroom – that’s the case for all federal courts
- Trump entered the courtroom through a hidden entrance
- No mug shot was taken
- In the absence of cameras, a sketch was made of Trump in court
Bill Hennessey
Nauta did not appear before his arraignment and his lawyer until July 6 filed a plea not guilty on his behalf.
On July 27, three Additional costs were brought against Trump and two more were brought against Nauta. Charges against property manager Mar-a-Lago Carlos de Oliveira were also introduced. They have also all pleaded not guilty to those charges.
Arraignment New York
on March 30 Trump was indicted by a New York grand jury after Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg provided evidence before the grand jury about Trump’s alleged involvement in covering up alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. This was the first time a former president had been charged with a crime.
The charge was only unsealed during Trump’s arraignment on Tuesday, April 4, in a lower Manhattan court. Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business documents in the first degree.
- The procedure took about an hour
- Trump entered the building through a hidden entrance
- Electronic media coverage was not allowed in the courtroom, but one photo was taken
- No mug shot was taken
Seth Wenig/Getty Images
Caitlin O’Kane
