Trump to Surrender in Georgia Election Case on Thursday

From a Wall Street Journal story by Jan Wolfe and Aruna Viswanatha headlined “Donald Trump to Surrender in Georgia Election Case on Thursday”:

Donald Trump said he would surrender in Atlanta on Thursday in the criminal election-interference case against him, after bond for the former president was set at $200,000.

In a social-media post on his Truth Social platform Monday, Trump said he was going to Atlanta on Thursday to be arrested by the district attorney who brought the case, Fani Willis.

“Can you believe it?” Trump said, adding: “She campaigned, and is continuing to campaign, and raise money on, this WITCH HUNT.”

Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, has defended her investigation and the charges in the indictment she brought last week as fair.

Earlier on Monday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee set the bond amount in a three-page court filing, known as a bond consent order, that also imposed limits on Trump’s public statements.

The surrender is largely procedural, and many of the defendants have negotiated or are expected to negotiate their release on bond. But it is expected to provide a striking moment in which, for the fourth time this year, the former president had to present himself to authorities to face criminal charges.

Unlike some of his 18 co-defendants in the racketeering case, Trump was explicitly prohibited in the new order from using social media to target co-defendants, potential witnesses and the 30 unindicted co-conspirators in the case.

“The Defendant shall perform no act to intimidate any person known to him or her to be a co-defendant or witness in this case or to otherwise obstruct the administration of justice,” the order stated.

“The above shall include, but are not limited to, posts on social media or reposts of posts made by another individual on social media,” the order said.

Willis consented to the order. So did three of Trump’s defense lawyers, who were photographed at the Fulton County Courthouse on Monday.

Trump and his co-defendants in the case are required to surrender to authorities in Atlanta by noon on Friday.

In the three other criminal cases against Trump, no mug shot was taken. But experts said that would be a departure from standard practice in Georgia, where he will also be fingerprinted.

The consent bond allows Trump to immediately be released on certain conditions. By coming to the agreement, Trump avoids having a bond hearing, where a judge would decide whether he is a flight risk or otherwise poses a danger to the community.

The Georgia indictment, brought by Willis, charged Trump with 13 felonies, alleging he pushed false claims of voter fraud in Georgia and pressured Republican officials to help him secure the state’s Electoral College votes.

Trump’s lawyers issued a statement Monday that said, in part, “We look forward to a detailed review of this indictment which is undoubtedly just as flawed and unconstitutional as this entire process has been.”