Georgia election case: Trump, other 18 defendants surrender to authorities

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has responded to Mark Meadows' emergency motion to prevent his arrest and remove his case to federal court, arguing that the former Trump chief of staff's arguments are "baseless and in direct contravention with the requirements of the law."

"In essence, the defendant's emergency motion is a plea to this Court to prevent the defendant from being arrested on the charges lawfully brought by the State of Georgia," the response said, highlighting that Meadows had previously requested additional time to surrender on two occasions.

Willis argued that Meadows' removal motion only entitles him to an evidentiary hearing, which is already set for August 28; otherwise, criminal proceedings in the case, including his surrender, can continue as planned, the response said.

Meadows last week filed a motion to move his case on the basis of a federal law that he argued requires the removal of criminal proceedings brought in state court to the federal court system when someone is charged for actions they allegedly took as a federal official acting "under color" of their office.

Among other allegations, the DA's indictment says Meadows traveled to Cobb County Center and "attempted to observe the signature match audit being performed by law enforcement officers and officials from the Georgia Secretary of State despite the fact that the process was not open to the public" and that he sent a text message to a state investigator on Dec. 27, 2020, asking if there was a way to "speed up" results ahead of Jan. 6, "in furtherance of the conspiracy."

District Attorney Fani Willis is contesting former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark's request for an emergency stay of the Fulton County proceedings.

Clark had filed a motion in federal court Tuesday seeking an emergency stay of the proceedings, including his arrest warrant, until after Labor Day, so a judge could rule on his motion to remove his case to federal court.

In a filing today, Willis wrote that Clark "seeks to avoid the inconvenience and unpleasantness of being arrested ... but provides this court with no legal basis to justify those ends."

Clark has filed a separate motion seeking to remove his case to federal court on the basis that he was serving as a high-ranking DOJ official during the timeframe alleged in the DA's indictment. Former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows and former Georgia GOP chair David Shafer have also filed similar motions.

Clark is accused in the indictment of making false statements to senior DOJ officials "urging the officials to let him convey the false information to Georgia State Officials" that the DOJ had "identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple states, including the State of Georgia."

Former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani has surrendered at the Fulton County Jail for processing, according to online records.

Bail for the former New York City mayor was set at $150,000 earlier Wednesday.

He faces 13 counts related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

Trump attorney Sidney Powell has surrendered to authorities at the Fulton County Jail for processing, according to the jail's official website.

Powell faces 16 counts in the DA's indictment, including two counts of conspiracy to commit election fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit computer theft.

She is accused of conspiring with other co-defendants to commit election fraud by allegedly encouraging and helping people tamper with ballot markers and machines inside an elections office in Coffee County.

Powell's bail was set at $100,000 Wednesday morning.