Donald Trump
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Trump intends to surrender himself on Thursday at Fulton County jail.

Former President Donald Trump intends to present himself and undergo processing at Fulton County jail on Thursday, in accordance with his agreement earlier on Monday to post a $200,000 bond and accept other release conditions.

“I will be heading to Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday for my DETENTION,” Trump announced on Truth Social, confirming reports from CNN that were based on information from two sources acquainted with the plan.

Several co-defendants in the extensive Georgia racketeering case have also concurred with the conditions of their bond agreements with the district attorney’s office.

Trump’s legal representatives, Jennifer Little, Drew Findling, and Marissa Goldberg, held discussions with the district attorney’s office on Monday before the particulars of the bond agreement were disclosed. Little, Findling, and Goldberg operate in the state. Other attorneys working for Trump have been working behind the scenes on the bond approach and Trump’s forthcoming arrest, including Todd Blanche, who has taken on the role of Trump’s principal defense attorney across his numerous criminal indictments.

The terms of release in Trump’s bond order are more comprehensive compared to those stipulated in the other bond agreements endorsed earlier in the day in the case.

Unlike some of his co-defendants, the former president is expressly prohibited in the order from employing social media to target his 18 fellow defendants in the case, as well as any witnesses and the 30 unindicted co-conspirators.

“The Defendant shall undertake no action to intimidate any person known to him or her to be a co-defendant or witness in this case or to otherwise hinder the administration of justice,” states the order signed by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee.

“This includes, but is not limited to, posts on social media or reposts of posts made by another individual on social media,” the order reads.

The Fulton County election manipulation case marks the first instance in which Trump’s release conditions involve a cash bond and a prohibition on intimidation through social media.

This criminal case is the fourth one brought against the former president this year. In the previous cases, the terms for Trump’s release after arrest and pending trial were mostly standard.

In the Mar-a-Lago documents case filed against him by special counsel Jack Smith in Florida, Trump was released on his own recognizance, though his attorneys did object to the limitations imposed on his contact with witnesses in that case.

Similarly, Trump was released with minimal conditions in Smith’s election manipulation case in Washington, DC. Those conditions included not communicating with any known witnesses in the case except through an attorney. In the New York hush money case, Trump was also ordered not to discuss the case with anyone central to it, except through his legal representatives.

Bond orders finalized with several defendants In addition to Trump’s bond orders, several more defendants had their bond orders ratified on Monday. Conservative attorney John Eastman reached a $100,000 bond agreement with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, and defendant Scott Hall, a bail bondsman, also reached a bond agreement with Willis, according to court filings. Hall’s bond was set at $10,000.

Kenneth Chesebro’s bond was set at $100,000, and Ray Smith’s was set at $50,000.

The bond orders contain comparable language for release, such as the requirement for defendants to report to pre-trial supervision every 30 days, which can be done via phone. They are also prohibited from communicating about the case with the other 18 co-defendants or any witnesses.

All 19 defendants in the case, including Trump, are anticipated to surrender this week before the Friday deadline set by Willis, following last week’s comprehensive indictment over Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

Eastman plans to surrender to Fulton County authorities on Wednesday, according to a new filing on Monday, marking the first confirmation outside of Trump of a date on which one of his 18 co-defendants will turn themselves in for arrest and processing.

The conservative attorney is currently facing disciplinary proceedings in the State Bar of California, which could result in the revocation of his law license in the state. Hearings were scheduled for multiple days this week, but a judge of the State Bar Court of California announced on Monday night that Eastman would not be present on Tuesday and Wednesday due to his impending surrender.

“Based on recent email exchanges between the parties, the court is prepared to make certain adjustments to this week’s trial schedule to accommodate Dr. Eastman’s surrender in Fulton County, Georgia, which the court understands will occur on Wednesday, August 23rd,” Judge Yvette Roland wrote in a court order.

In a standard case in Fulton County, when an arrest is made by the police, the person arrested is booked into jail and must appear before a magistrate judge within 72 hours. This scenario, however, is unlikely to apply to the defendants in this racketeering case. Since they have already been indicted and are expected to negotiate the terms of release and bond before turning themselves in at the jail, an initial court appearance is unlikely, as per attorneys’ statements to CNN.

Law enforcement presence remains heightened at the Fulton County court complex. Dozens of law enforcement vehicles are parked around the court complex and government center, where the 19 defendants are expected to negotiate their release terms and bond with the district attorney’s office.

The Fulton County sheriff’s office has taken the lead in security outside the buildings, but members from other agencies and departments, such as the US Marshals Service, responsible for courthouse security, and the Atlanta police, have also been seen patrolling and stationed outside public entrances.

According to a news release from the sheriff’s office on Monday, the barricades around the Fulton County courthouse will remain in place until Saturday. The deadline for the defendants to surrender is Friday at 12 p.m. ET.

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