Former President Donald Trump and five additional co-defendants surrendered at an Atlanta jail in the Georgia election interference criminal case. Trump turned himself in and was quickly released on bond after being processed for 13 felony counts. This marked the first time that the mugshot of a former US president was publicly released. Two more co-defendants have yet to surrender before the Friday deadline, bringing the total number of charged individuals to 19. The defendants are accused of participating in a broad criminal conspiracy to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss in Georgia to President Joe Biden.
After being released, Trump flew home to New Jersey and gave an interview where he described the experience of having his mugshot taken as “terrible.” His 2024 Republican presidential campaign wasted no time in capitalizing on the situation, selling merchandise featuring his mugshot to raise funds. Within hours of Trump’s surrender, the co-defendants Jeffrey Clark, Emily Hayes, Michael Roman, Shawn Still, and Robert Cheeley surrendered at the jail. Two defendants, Stephen Lee and Trevian Kutti, are still expected to be booked. All 19 defendants face charges related to the attempted reversal of Trump’s election defeat in Georgia. In a separate federal criminal case, Trump himself is charged with attempting to overturn the national election results.
The co-defendants face various felony counts, with Clark seeking to transfer his case to federal court. Cheeley, a Georgia lawyer, is charged with 10 felonies, while Roman, a former campaign official, faces seven felonies. Still, a Georgia state senator, was one of the fake electors who claimed Trump had won in Georgia. Hayes, a former election supervisor, also faces seven felony counts. The case continues to develop, and updates will be provided in due course.
