‘I did nothing wrong’: Trump surrenders at Fulton County Jail

(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump surrendered to authorities in Georgia on Thursday, a little more than a week after he was indicted on charges of trying to overturn the 2020 election in that state.

Trump was booked into the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, processed and had a mug shot taken — a first for a former president. He was quickly released after posting $200,000 bond. The former president spent roughly 23 minutes at the facility.

Before departing the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Trump addressed reporters on the tarmac.

“What has taken place here is a travesty of justice,” Trump said. “We did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong, and everybody knows it.”

Ahead of his surrender, the former president wrote, “I will proudly be arrested” in a Truth Social post.

In another post on the social network, Trump attacked prosecutor Fani Willis and doubled down on his claims of election fraud.

“I have to start getting ready to head down to Atlanta, Georgia, where Murder and other Violent Crimes have reached levels never seen before, to get ARRESTED by a Radical Left, Lowlife District Attorney, Fani Willis, for A PERFECT PHONE CALL, and having the audacity to challenge a RIGGED & STOLLEN ELECTION. THE EVIDENCE IS IRREFUTABLE!” he wrote.

Despite multiple legal challenges, no evidence of widespread election fraud has been found in the 2020 election.

The former president is accused of orchestrating a “criminal enterprise” to remain president and faces other related charges in the indictment besides the RICO charge.

However, Trump has denied all allegations against him.

Trump and 18 co-defendants were charged under the state’s Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law and were given until this Friday at noon ET to surrender to Georgia authorities. 

Fulton County officials had said they planned to treat Trump as they would any other inmate.

Before his surrender, the former president replaced his top Georgia lawyer, Drew Findling, with Atlanta-based attorney Steven Sadow, CNN reported. Sadow had previously challenged the state’s RICO law and had filed paperwork Thursday morning to officially represent Trump in the case.

A source familiar with Sadow called him the “best criminal defense attorney in Georgia,” CNN reported.

Sadow told NewsNation he was not inside the Fulton County Jail when Trump was booked Thursday night.

Of Trump’s 18 co-defendants, 11 have surrendered to authorities so far, including former New York Mayor and former Trump attorney Rudy Guiliani, who turned himself in Wednesday. He was released on a $150,000 bond.

“This indictment is a travesty,” Guiliani said. “This is an assault on our Constitution.”

Authorities released Guiliani’s mug shot alongside several others, including that of former Georgia GOP Chair David Shafer and former Trump attorneys Sidney Powell and John Eastman.

“I am confident that when the law is faithfully applied in this proceeding, all of my co-defendants and I will be fully vindicated,” Eastman said.

The Hill contributed to this report.