ATLANTA: Donald Trump is set to make history as the first former US president to submit to a mugshot when he appears at an Atlanta jail on Thursday to face criminal charges of trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat in Georgia.

Hours before his expected evening jail appearance, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in a court filing called for a trial date of Oct 23, an accelerated timeline for a sprawling case that includes 18 defendants alongside Trump.

Willis previously had proposed a March 4 start.

Trump, 77, already has entered uncharted territory as the first former US president to face criminal charges. Now the businessman-turned-politician who for years hosted a reality TV show is due to join the ranks of gangster Al Capone, crooner Frank Sinatra and other high-profile Americans who have posed for jailhouse photographs.

First ex-US president to submit mugshot ahead of trial; Republicans launch probe of Atlanta DA in poll case

The image is certain to be circulated widely by Trump’s foes and supporters alike.

Some of his co-defendants already have been booked. Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York mayor, was stone-faced in his mugshot while lawyer Jenna Ellis smiled. All 19 defendants must surrender by Friday.

Launch probe

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, a staunch Trump ally, sent Willis a letter raising questions about whether she coordinated her probe with the US Justice Department, including Special Counsel Jack Smith, or used federal tax money in the investigation.

“The federal government has a substantial interest in the welfare of former presidents,” Jordan wrote in a five-page letter to Willis.

“And because this former president is a current candidate for that office, the indictment implicates another core federal interest: a presidential election,” Jordan said.

Jordan raised concerns about her motivation in bringing the case and asserted congressional authority to “probe whether former presidents are being subjected to politically motivated investigations and prosecutions.” Jordan also indicated in the letter that lawmakers could consider legislation about the use of federal funds by state law enforcement in the future. Willis’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In addition to the New York state charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Trump faces two sets of federal charges brought by Special Counsel Smith — one case in Washington involving election interference and one in Miami involving classified documents he retained after leaving office in 2021. He faces 91 criminal counts in total.

Trump has agreed to post $200,000 bond and accepted bail conditions that would bar him from threatening witnesses or his 18 co-defendants in the Georgia case.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2023