Scowling Trump mugshot caps historic Georgia surrender in election case

globalnews.ca:

Donald Trump posed for an unprecedented mugshot while surrendering at an Atlanta jail Thursday evening on charges of trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat in Georgia — a sobering image that underlined the stark legal threat against him that could nevertheless boost his political momentum.

The former U.S. president, who is seeking a return to the White House next year, was fingerprinted and processed at the Fulton County Jail. The brisk, 20-minute process included the taking of a booking photo, a step that was skipped the prior three times Trump has been forced to surrender to authorities this year.

He was released on a US$200,000 bond with the promise to appear for an arraignment next month.

“This is a very sad day for America,” Trump told reporters on the tarmac outside his private plane following his booking prior to departing Atlanta. He repeated his past insistence that he did nothing wrong in trying to change the election outcome.

“If you challenge an election, you should be able to challenge an election,” he added before boarding his plane.

Trump is the latest of 19 defendants charged by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is accusing them of participating in a criminal conspiracy to violate Georgia election laws.

Despite the sprawling nature of the racketeering case, Willis signalled earlier Thursday she is prepared to go to trial in less than two months, filing court papers outlining a proposed Oct. 23 date in response to another defendant’s request for a speedy trial. Willis had originally requested a March 4, 2024 start to the trial.

Trump, 77, had already entered uncharted territory as the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges earlier this year. Yet the four cases filed