Trump, Others Charged in Georgia Election Case, Meet Booking Deadlines

ATLANTA (NEWSnet/AP) — Donald Trump and the 18 people indicted along with him in Georgia on charges that they participated in a wide-ranging illegal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election have all turned themselves in before the noon Friday deadline.
After Trump was booked Thursday evening — scowling at the camera for the first-ever mug shot of a former president — seven co-defendants who had not yet surrendered did so Friday morning.
All but one of those charged had agreed to a bond amount and conditions with Fulton County District Fani Willis ahead of time, and they were free to go after booking. Harrison William Prescott Floyd, who is accused of harassing a Fulton County election worker, did not negotiate a bond ahead of time and remained in the jail after turning himself in Thursday.
The next step is for Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee to set arraignments for each of the defendants. That’s when they would appear in court for the first time and enter a plea of guilty or not guilty, though defendants in Georgia can waive arraignment.
The case filed under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act is sprawling, and the logistics of bringing it to trial are likely to be complicated.
Legal maneuvering by several of those charged has already begun, including efforts by some to move their cases to federal court.
Willis — who has said she wants to try all 19 defendants together — has proposed starting the trial for everyone on Oct. 23.
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