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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Trump's mug shot released

The Fulton County Sheriff's Office has released the mug shot taken of Trump during his processing this evening.

This is the first mug shot to be taken of Trump among his four indictments.


Trump: 'We did nothing wrong'

In remarks before boarding his plane at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Trump said he had the right to challenge an election "we think is dishonest."

"We did nothing wrong," said Trump, continuing to falsely claim that the election had been stolen.

"We have every right to challenge the election," he said.

Trump's plane is now en route to Newark Liberty International Airport.


Trump heading back toward airport

Trump's motorcade is now en route to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport following his booking and release from the Fulton County Jail.


Trump booked, released from Fulton County Jail

Trump has been booked and released from the Fulton County Jail, according to Fulton County Sheriff’s Office records.

His bond was set at $200,000.

A senior adviser to the former president tells ABC News that a mug shot was taken of Trump moments after he entered the Fulton County Jail.

Trump's height and weight -- listed as 6-foot-3 and 215 lbs. -- were pre-reported in order to speed up the process, the adviser said.


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.