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.
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Final 2 mug shots released by sheriff's office
The Fulton County Sheriff's Office has released mug shots of the final two defendants to surrender for processing.
Chicago pastor Stephan Lee is alleged in the DA's indictment to have traveled to the home of election worker Ruby Freeman "with intent to influence her testimony" after Freeman was falsely accused of stealing ballots.
Trump staff member Michael Roman allegedly worked to commit acts "in furtherance of the conspiracy," according to the indictment.
Sheriff's office releases 5 more mug shots
The Fulton County Sheriff's Office has released mug shots of five of the final seven defendants to turn themselves in for processing.
The mug shots released were of former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, Georgia state Sen. Shawn Still, former Coffee County elections director Misty Hampton, Georgia lawyer Robert Cheeley and publicist Trevian Kutti.
4th defendant seeks to move case to federal court
Shawn Still, a recently elected Georgia state senator who was one of the so-called "fake electors" accused in the DA's indictment of working to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, has filed a motion seeking to move his case to federal court -- making him the fourth defendant in the case to do so.
Former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, and former Georgia GOP chair David Shafer all previously filed their own motions seeking removal to federal court.
Although Still is not a federal official, his motion argues that he "was acting, or was acting under, an officer of the United States" in his role as an alternate elector -- a similar argument to Shafer's motion.
"That is, the role of presidential elector is a federal one -- created and directed by the United States Constitution and Congress. Thus, Mr. Still, acting as a presidential elector, was a federal officer," Still's filing says.
Still's filing also argues that he was following the advice of authorities on the matter, saying, "Mr. Still, as a presidential elector, was also acting at the direction of the incumbent President of the United States. The President's attorneys instructed Mr. Still and the other contingent electors that they had to meet and cast their ballots on December 14, 2020, in order to preserve the presidential election contest."
Still is charged with eight counts in the indictment, including impersonating a public officer and forgery in the first degree.
All 19 defendants have surrendered
Chicago pastor Stephen Lee has turned himself in to authorities at the Fulton County Jail in the DA's sweeping racketeering case.
With Lee's surrender, all 19 defendants in the case have turned themselves in for processing before the noon deadline that had been set by the DA.
Lee is accused in the DA's indictment of trying to strong-arm election worker Ruby Freeman, who was falsely accused of stealing ballots.
Willis opposes Meadows' motion to move case to federal court
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."