He and his cronies have long been pictured at the White House and political rallies.
But now, Donald Trump and some of his closest allies and fellow election deniers are the faces of humiliating mug shots.
As of Thursday night, 12 of the 19 defendants charged in Fulton County’s investigation into their attempts to alter the 2020 election results in Georgia have surrendered to state authorities, been booked in jail, had their booking photos taken and been released on bond.
Among those to surrender so far include Mr Trump and multiple members of his 2020 campaign legal team, including Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, and Sidney Powell.
Among the others yet to surrender are: the apparently Chicago-based publicist Trevian Kutti, one of if not the most surprising figure to become wrapped up in the Georgia investigation. Thanks to her work with rapper and two-time failed presidential candidate Ye, aka Kanye West, Ms Kutti has become enmeshed in the outskirts of the Trumpworld sphere based in Mar-a-Lago and thus became involved, along with numerous others, in an attempt by the Trump campaign to get two women who worked as poll workers in Fulton County to falsely admit to participating in election fraud.
The targeting of those two women for conspiracies and hatred from Trump supporters lasted for months, despite no evidence actually emerging to prove them guilty of any crimes and Georgia authorities rejecting the “evidence” brought forward by Mr Trump’s lawyers on the matter.
All 19 defendants have been given until noon ET on Friday to surrender to authorities.
Every defendant facing charges in the Georgia scheme are under threat of prison time. All 19 are charged with the most serious felony on the list, a violation of Georgia’s RICO statute against organised criminal activity.
In addition to the RICO charge, Mr Trump also faces 12 other charges, including: Conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery, two counts of conspiracy to make false statements under oath, two counts of conspiracy to file false documents, two counts of solicitation of a public officer, filing false documents, conspiracy to solicit false statements, and making false statements.
Donald Trump
Former President Donald Trump is shown in a police booking mug shot released by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office— (via REUTERS)
Giving his best blue steel to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Mr Trump posed for his first mug shot after surrendering to authorities on Thursday evening (24 August).
Despite having faced three other criminal indictments this year, two of which are federal, the ex-president was not asked to take a mug shot photo until his arrest in the Georgia election interference case.
Speaking with reporters after his brief appearance in Georgia, Mr Trump said: “This should never happen. If you challenge an election, you should be able to challenge an election.”
Along with his 18 other co-defendants, Mr Trump was charged with violating the RICO Act and charged with 12 other crimes.
The ex-president maintained his innocence to reporters on Thursday saying: “When you have that great freedom to challenge, you have to be able to, otherwise, you’re going to have very dishonest elections,” he said. “What has taken place here is a travesty of justice. We did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong, and everybody knows it. I’ve never had such support.”
Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani— (Reuters)
Rudy Giuliani glared at the camera as he had his mug shot taken following his arrest on Wednesday afternoon.
The former New York City mayor and former attorney to Mr Trump surrendered at the Fulton County Jail, where his bond was set at $150,000 – the highest of all defendants other than the former president.
Following his release on bond, he gave a defiant response to reporters outside the jail when asked if he regretted his relationship with Mr Trump.
“I am very very honoured to be involved in this case because this case is a fight for our way of life,” he claimed, before echoing Mr Trump’s campaign spiel that “if they can do this to me, they can do this to you”.
The man once known as “America’s Mayor” for his response to 9/11 has had a spectacular fall from grace, after becoming one of the most prominent players in Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
He was hit with 13 charges in the sweeping indictment – the highest of all defendants other than Mr Trump – including charges of making false statements and soliciting false testimony, conspiring to create fake paperwork and asking state lawmakers to violate their oath of office to appoint an alternate slate of pro-Trump electors.
Sidney Powell
Sidney Powell’s mug shot— (via REUTERS)
“Kraken” lawyer Sidney Powell surrendered to authorities on Wednesday where her bond was set at $100,000.
The former federal prosecutor joined Mr Trump’s legal team to challenge the 2020 election results, mounting what she claimed to be a “Kraken” case – a case that would blow up the case that Mr Biden won.
However, her case did no such thing and was actually filled with conspiracy theories.
Ms Powell is charged in connection to plots to execute a data breach in Coffee County.
Jenna Ellis
Jenna Ellis— (Reuters)
Jenna Ellis smiled broadly as she had her booking photo taken in Fulton County Jail on Wednesday.
The former attorney to Mr Trump is facing two charges: violating the state’s RICO Act and soliciting the violation of oath by a public officer over her involvement at a Georgia senate hearing where fasle claims of election fraud were pushed. Her bond was set at $100,000.
After being released on bond, she posted the mug shot online together with Bible verses.
“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you…” Matt 5:44,” she wrote.
“But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.” Psalm 32:10-11”
Despite making her bond amount, she has had to resort to crowdfunding to help pay her legal fees.
Scott Hall
Scott Hall— (Reuters)
Scott Hall, a former bail bondsman in Atlanta, was the first co-defendant to surrender on Tuesday.
Mr Hall is charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit a felony, two counts of conspiracy to commit election fraud, conspiracy to defraud the state or political subdivision and violation of the Georgia RICO statute.
His bond was set at $10,000.
He is accused of illegally trying to access voting machines in Coffee County, Georgia – part of a wider but little-known plot to breach the voting systems in the county and unlawfully access private voter data as part of an attempt to try that the systems were rigged in Mr Biden’s favour.
David Shafer
David Shafer— (Reuters)
David Shafer beamed in his mug shot and posted it on social media, boldly describing it as his “new profile picture” after surrendering to Fulton County Jail in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The former chairman of the Georgia Republican Party and a longtime member of the Georgia state Senate shared his booking photo on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Good morning! #NewProfilePicture,” he captioned the mug shot.
Mr Shafer is charged with eight counts over his part in the scheme where he allegedly played a pivotal role in the fake electors plot in the state.
According to the indictment, Mr Shafer convened 16 fake electors in the Georgia state capitol on 14 December 2020 to sign a certificate falsely declaring Mr Trump as the winner of the state.
In a court filing on Tuesday, he showed signs of turning on Mr Trump in the case, claiming that he was only following the former president’s orders when he took part in the election interference plot.
Mr Shafer said that he merely “acted at the direction of the incumbent President and other federal officials” as he asked a judge to move the criminal case to federal court.
John Eastman
John Eastman— (Reuters)
John Eastman – a former attorney for Mr Trump, former dean of Chapman University’s law school and former law clerk of conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas – was the second codefendant to surrender for arrest on Tuesday.
In a statement through his attorneys, he said that he was surrendering “to an indictment that should never have been brought” and claimed the indictment targeted “attorneys for their zealous advocacy on behalf of their clients”.
Mr Eastman allegedly played a key role in the fake elector plot.
At a Georgia Senate hearing on 3 December 2020 – also attended by Mr Giuliani – Mr Eastman falsely told state lawmakers that they had both the power and “duty” to replace the rightful slate of Democratic electors with a group of fake electors who would fraudulently cast votes for Mr Trump. Beyond Georgia alone, Mr Eastman compiled a memo falsely outlining how then-vice president Mike Pence could overturn the 2020 presidential election on 6 January 2021.
Cathy Latham
Cathy Latham surrendered for arrest in the early hours of Wednesday morning – more than two days before the deadline.
She was released after making here bond which was set at $75,000.
The former head of the Republican Party in Coffee County was one of 16 fake electors who fraudulently signed a certificate stating that Mr Trump had won the election in the state. She is charged over the voting systems breach in Coffee County.
Cathy Latham— (Reuters)
Kenneth Chesebro
Kenneth Chesebro, an attorney and Mr Trump ally, surrendered to authorities on Wednesday.
He is charged with seven counts and his bond set at $100,000.
Mr Chesebro was allegedly the main architect of the fake electors plot – a scheme to plant fake electors in seven states which Mr Biden won and have them fraudulently cast electoral college votes in Mr Trump’s favour instead.
Ken Chesebro— (Reuters)
Ray Smith
Ray Smith scowled as his mug shot was captured on Wednesday, following his arrest on 10 charges in the sweeping indictment.
Mr Smith is an Atlanta-based attorney who was hired by Mr Trump to fight the 2020 election results.
He allegedly advised the fake electors and appeared before a Georgia senate hearing falsely claiming that thousands of fraudulent votes had been cast.
Ray Smith— (Reuters)
Ariana Baio contributed to this report
