Former US President Donald Trump is set to surrender to authorities in Georgia to face charges that he schemed to overturn the 2020 election in the state.
Trump will turn himself in at Fulton County Jail in Atlanta on Thursday to face 13 charges including racketeering and election meddling.
Trump denies any wrongdoing and says the charges are politically motivated.
The prosecution is the fourth criminal case against Trump since March when he became the first former president in US history to be indicted.
Trump’s attendance at the jail follows a public debate featuring his leading rivals for the 2024 Republican nomination; a contest in which he remains the leading candidate despite accelerating legal troubles.
The criminal cases have spurred a succession of bookings and arraignments, with Trump making brief court appearances before returning to the campaign trail.
However, he has turned the appearances into campaign events amid a far lighter schedule than his nomination rivals, with staff delighting in wall-the-wall media coverage which has included news helicopters tracking his every move.
Meanwhile, Trump’s former personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, is one of 18 co-defendants who have begun turning themselves in.
On his arrival in Atlanta, Giuliani laughed as he responded to questions from reporters.
“I am very, very honoured to be involved in this case because this case is a fight for our way of life,” he said.
“This indictment is a travesty. It’s an attack on not just me, not just President Trump, not just the people in this indictment, some of whom I don’t even know. This is an attack on the American people.”
In total, Trump faces 91 charges across four criminal cases, including an investigation into his alleged mishandling of classified documents. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
He said in a social media post this week that he was being prosecuted for what he described in capital letters as a “perfect phone call” in which he asked the Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, to help him “find” enough votes for him to overturn his loss in the state to Democrat Joe Biden.
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. All rights and credits reserved to respective owner(s).
Add Comment