Georgia election case: Trump, other 18 defendants surrender to authorities
Former President Trump was processed and released on bail.
Former President Donald Trump and the 18 other defendants charged by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for their alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia all surrendered to authorities at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta.
Trump and 17 other defendants were processed and released on bail, with one defendant held without bond. Several defendants also mounted legal challenges to the DA's case.
Top headlines:
GOP-led committee opens investigation into DA Fani Willis
The same day Donald Trump is expected to surrender at Fulton County Jail, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, launched a probe into whether District Attorney Fani Willis coordinated with federal officials, including special counsel Jack Smith.
In a new letter, Jordan demands information and communications with the Department of Justice and federal officials on the funding Willis' office receives.
"Ms. Willis's indictment and prosecution implicate substantial federal interests, and the circumstances surrounding her actions raise serious concerns about whether such actions are politically motivated," the release states.
Willis rejected any claims of the indictments being politically motivated in a recent radio interview.
"There's really nothing sexy about this," Willis told Atlanta Up Close's Maria Boynton. "There's allegations of a crime and then to look at the law and if the facts bear out that the law has been broken, then we have a duty and a responsibility to bring charges."
-ABC News' Lauren Peller and Peter Charalambous
Trump expected to shake up legal team ahead of surrender
Former President Donald Trump is expected to shake up his legal team as soon as Thursday, just hours ahead of plans for Trump to surrender to authorities in Fulton County, Georgia, sources with direct knowledge tell ABC News.
Drew Findling is expected to depart the team and be replaced by attorney Steven Sadow, according to the sources.
Read more about the decision.
Trump expected to surrender in Georgia Thursday
Former President Donald Trump is expected to surrender to authorities in Georgia on Thursday.
A judge had set his bond at $200,000 on Tuesday.
Trump and 18 others were charged last week by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in a sweeping racketeering indictment for alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia.
The former president says his actions were not illegal and that the investigation is politically motivated.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin, Will Steakin and Peter Charalambous
Willis says she had 'a duty and a responsibility to bring charges'
Speaking on a local Atlanta radio show, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis defended her decision to bring the sprawling racketeering case, arguing that the case is an even-handed application of the law.
"There's really nothing sexy about this," Willis told Atlanta Up Close's Maria Boynton. "There's allegations of a crime, and then to look at the law and if the facts bear out that the law has been broken, then we have a duty and a responsibility to bring charges."
The DA also said that recent threats made against her will not deter her from pursuing her case against the former president and his co-defendants.
"In the words of Jay-Z, brush my shoulders off and we just keep pushing," Willis said. "That is not going to deter me from doing my job."
Willis described the process of determining defendants' bond amounts as "literally just plugging things in" to a formula based on factors related to a defendant's flight risk. She also reiterated her past statement about the requirement for all defendants to surrender for processing by Friday at noon.
"Should people fail to turn themselves in, then a warrant will be filed on the system, and they'll have to be arrested," she said.
Of the 19 defendants, 15 have negotiated their bond packages and nine have subsequently been booked and released.
Judge sets bond for Giuliani at $150,000
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has set bond for former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani at $150,000.
As with all defendants in the case, Giuliani's bail conditions include not communicating with witnesses and co-defendants, reporting to pre-trial services by phone every month, and not obstructing justice by intimidating witnesses.
Giuliani's bond agreement also includes a line to ensure he surrenders at Fulton County Jail by the Friday deadline DA Fani Willis set for all 19 defendants.
"The Defendant shall turn himself into the Fulton County Jail by 12:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Friday, August 25, 2023. If the Defendant does not turn himself into the Fulton County Jail by this date and time, this consent bond order shall be null and void," the consent order said.
Giuliani is expected to surrender at the jail later today, sources have told ABC News.
According to prosecutors, Giuliani aided Trump in perpetrating a sweeping effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, including by making false statements to state election officials.