August 25, 2023 Trump and co-defendants have surrendered in Georgia case

Sidney Powell, a lawyer who was charged alongside former President Donald Trump in a racketeering case in Fulton County, Georgia, is seeking a speedy trial, according to a new court filing.

One of the other 19 defendants charged in the election interference case, Kenneth Chesebro, has also sought a speedy trial. A judge recently set his trial date for October 23.

Some context: Georgia's Speedy Trial Act builds on the Sixth Amendment protection for criminal defendants. Under the Georgia law, any criminal defendant has the right to demand a trial within weeks of being indicted. 

But cases can still be delayed by pre-trial disputes and other issues, and prosecutors typically don’t bring indictments in high-profile cases unless they are prepared to go to trial quickly. 

CNN's Hannah Rabinowitz contributed reporting to this post.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said she is prepared to begin providing discovery in the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies by September 15, according to a court filing.

Willis requested that attorneys for the defendants “provide a USB drive that is at least 2 terabytes large for copying of the initial batch of discovery” by September 5, the filing states.

President Joe Biden weighed in Friday on former President Donald Trump’s mug shot, calling his predecessor a “handsome guy.”

Trump became the first former president with a mug shot when he was placed under arrest at the Fulton County jail on Thursday evening.

Trump was booked on 13 counts stemming from his efforts to reverse Georgia’s 2020 election results — including racketeering, conspiracy charges and soliciting a public official to violate their oath of office.

It is the fourth time this year that he has faced criminal charges.

Harrison Floyd, one of President Donald Trump's 18 co-defendants in the Georgia 2020 election subversion case, will remain in the Fulton County jail for now.

During his first appearance in court Friday afternoon, Judge Emily Richardson told Floyd that she would not be setting bond because Floyd had already been indicted and assigned to Judge Scott McAfee, who would address bond moving forward. 

Richardson also informed Floyd of his rights and read the charges that he is facing during the brief virtual appearance.

Floyd does not have representation and told the judge that he could not afford a private attorney. Richardson told Floyd he did not meet the eligibility requirements for obtaining a public defender. He appeared over video conference in a large, empty room dressed in a prison uniform.

When a bond release was denied, Floyd objected, arguing that he voluntarily surrendered. 

Floyd also said he had yet to be read his Miranda warning. 

When asked if he had been advised of the charges against him, Floyd said he had and that "the DA's office pulled me aside yesterday" to go through the charges.  

Prosecutors for District Attorney Fani Willis attended the hearing and told the judge they had nothing further to add. 

Floyd is charged with three state crimes – violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, influencing a witness, and conspiring to solicit false statements.

Prosecutors say Floyd participated in a plot to pressure an Atlanta election worker into falsely admitting that she committed massive fraud against former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

Floyd is also facing a simple assault charge in a separate case for allegedly assaulting an FBI agent who came to serve him a subpoena to testify before a federal grand jury in Washington, DC, CNN previously reported. 

In that case, Floyd is alleged to have threatened two FBI agents who served him the subpoena at his apartment in Rockville, Maryland on February 23 by running after them and “striking” one agent “chest to chest.”

Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows reached a $100,000 bond agreement with Fulton County prosecutors Thursday, one day after losing a legal bid to stave off his impending surrender and arrest in Atlanta. 

The rest of the terms appear to be boilerplate in nature, similar to the deals inked with other defendants.

Meadows surrendered Thursday to be booked on two charges: Violating Georgia’s RICO act and soliciting a public officer to violate their oath. He denies wrongdoing and is trying to move his case into federal court and get the charges dropped.

These alleged crimes by Meadows mainly revolve around his participation in the infamous phone call between Donald Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in early January 2021, when Trump pressured him to “find” enough votes to make him the winner. 

A hearing is scheduled for Monday, where a federal judge will weigh Meadows’ arguments about moving the case. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opposes the move, and issued subpoenas to key players who were on the infamous call, to potentially testify at the hearing.

Cathy Latham, who served as an illegitimate elector for former President Donald Trump after the 2020 presidential election, has joined other defendants seeking to have the Georgia election subversion case moved to federal court.

In a court filing Friday, Latham said she was following the orders of then-President Trump.

"Mrs. Latham was acting pursuant to the guidelines of the Constitution ... at the direction of the President of the United States," it adds.

Latham, one of 19 defendants in the election subversion case against former Trump and others, was one of the 16 Republicans who served as “fake electors” in Georgia and allegedly signed paperwork claiming that Trump had carried the state when he had not.

Prosecutors say Latham's efforts were part of the Trump campaign’s plan to subvert the Electoral College and nullify Joe Biden’s victory.

Latham, the former chair of the Coffee County GOP, also escorted individuals into the county election office where they breached voter data. Latham has said she was not “personally involved’ in the breach.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee told reporters Friday that Harrison Floyd — one of the 18 co-defendants charged alongside former President Donald Trump in Georgia — does not have an initial appearance scheduled before him today and will remain detained until a bond is set.

McAfee said a docket entry indicating Floyd would appear before him Friday morning was wrong.

Floyd surrendered to the Fulton County jail Thursday without a bond agreement, including terms of release, in place. 

According to the judge, Floyd is entitled to a first appearance before him within 72 hours of being detained. An officer with the jail told CNN that because Floyd has already been indicted, he must appear before Judge McAfee for an initial appearance. 

Floyd will remain behind bars in the meantime.

Prosecutors with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office also arrived at the courtroom Friday but left shortly after speaking with staff there. 

More background: Floyd, a Maryland resident, is a leader of the organization Black Voices for Trump. According to court filings, Floyd arranged a meeting between Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman and Trevian Kutti, a former publicist to musicians R. Kelly and Kanye West.

During the meeting, videotaped by police, Kutti allegedly pressured and threatened Freeman during the meeting, citing baseless claims that she was involved in voter fraud.

Stephen Lee, the Illinois-based pastor accused of intimidating a Georgia election worker after the 2020 election, has surrendered at the Fulton County jail – the last of 19 defendants charged in the Georgia election interference case to do so.

District Attorney Fani Willis charged Lee with five state crimes, including violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, influencing a witness, and conspiring to solicit false statements.

Prosecutors say Lee participated in a plot to pressure an Atlanta worker into falsely admitting that she committed massive fraud against former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

The election worker, Ruby Freeman, called 911 after Lee knocked on her front door in December 2020. When a police officer confronted Lee in his car, Lee said he was trying to “get some truth on what’s going on,” according to police body camera footage obtained by CNN.

Now that Lee has surrendered, all 19 people charged in the case, including Trump, have surrendered to law enforcement.

All but one of the defendants have surrendered after negotiating a bond deal with prosecutors, allowing for a fast booking process at the Fulton County jail. The 18 agreements allow each defendant to be out on bond during the course of their legal case, as opposed to remaining in custody.

The bonds range from $10,000 to former President Trump’s $200,000 agreement.

Each of the 18 defendants has also pledged to a standard set of conditions, including prohibitions on discussing the case with witnesses or one another.

The one defendant who did not negotiate before turning himself in, Harrison Floyd, remains in law enforcement custody while he awaits a bail hearing.

Here's a list of the 19 people charged in the Georgia case, according to the indictment:

Georgia prosecutors allege that former President Donald Trump and his allies broke state laws during about a dozen separate incidents after the 2020 election, according to the indictment made public last Monday.

There are 41 overall charges in the case, which was brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The first charge involves Georgia’s anti-racketeering law known as the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO. But the next 40 non-racketeering charges stem from roughly a dozen key incidents after the 2020 election. 

The events, and the crimes the Trump group allegedly committed, break down this way: