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

United States District Court Judge Steve Jones has denied Jeffrey Clark's motion for an emergency stay in his case.

Clark, a former Justice Department official, had sought an emergency stay of the Fulton County proceedings, including his arrest warrant, until after Labor Day, so a judge could rule on his motion to remove his case to federal court.

Clark, in a separate motion, is 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 urging senior DOJ officials to falsely tell Georgia state officials that the DOJ had "identified significant concerns" about the tabulation of election returns in the state.

The Fulton County Sheriff's Office has released mug shots of three of the attorneys who prosecutors say helped lead the efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

Authorities released mug shots taken of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Trump campaign lawyers Sydney Powell and Jenna Ellis.

All three were processed at the Fulton County Jail and released on bail.

Authorities have released mug shots of the first six defendants to surrender in the election interference case.

The Fulton County Sheriff's Office released mug shots taken of attorneys John Eastman and Kenneth Chesebro, former Georgia GOP chair David Shafer, former Coffee County GOP chair Cathy Latham, Georgia lawyer Ray Smith III and Georgia bail bondsman Scott Hall.

All six have been processed at the Fulton County Jail and released on bail.

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."