Donald Trump has confirmed he will surrender to the courts in Georgia just hours after his bond was set at $200,000.
The 45th US President said he will be travelling to Atlanta in Georgia on Thursday to face racketeering and other charges relating to the aftermath of the 2020 presidential vote. The state alleges Trump attempted to overturn his loss to Joe Biden.
The bond agreement, which was outlined in a court filing signed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Trump’s defense attorneys, barred him from intimidating co-defendants, witnesses, or victims in the case. This included any possible social media posts.
He is also prohibited from communicating “in any way, directly or indirectly” about the facts of the case with any co-defendant or witness, except through attorneys.
Trump was charged last week in the case alongside 18 allies. It’s the fourth criminal case against the former president, who is campaigning to reclaim the White House in 2024.
Willis expected the arraignment of the defendants to begin the week commencing September 5. She set an August 25 deadline for those due in court to hand themselves in.
Writing on his Truth social media platform, Trump said: “Can you believe it? I’m going to Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday to be arrested.”
He went on to brand Willis a “radical left district attorney”. He has previously suggested the court cases he is facing are a “political witch hunt”.
There is widespread speculation that Trump and perhaps others could also try to move the case to federal court.
Trump is already scheduled to stand trial in March in a separate New York case involving dozens of state charges of falsifying business records in connection with an alleged hush money payment to a porn actor.
He’s scheduled to stand trial in May in the federal case brought by special counsel Jack Smith alleging he illegally hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate and thwarted government efforts to return them.
And Smith’s team is seeking a January 2 trial date in the federal case over Trump’s efforts to overturn the election.
The expansive Georgia indictment, which is nearly 100 pages long, uses the state’s racketeering law to accuse Trump and others of participation in a conspiracy, detailing dozens of actions they are alleged to have taken in an attempt to keep him in power.
