By Kaveh Nasseri
ATLANTA, GA – According to The Associated Press Monday, former President Donald Trump’s bond has been set at $200,000 in his Georgia election interference criminal case, which charges him with trying to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election in the state.
Trump and 18 others were indicted last week for their purported efforts to reverse Georgia’s election results, said AP, noting the 13 charges against him include racketeering, criminal conspiracy, criminal solicitation, and more.
According to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, whose office brought the case against Trump, “the indictment alleges that…the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia’s presidential election result.”
According to AP News, the bond agreement filed in court Monday was signed by Willis as well as Trump’s defense team, and it explicitly bars the former President from making threats against witnesses and co-defendants, including “posts on social media or reposts of posts made by another individual on social media.”
The agreement also prohibits Trump from communicating with any witnesses or co-defendants about the case unless such communication takes place through a lawyer.
The bond for Trump’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (or RICO) charge is set at $80,000, with $10,000 added for each of his 12 additional charges, reported AP.
Other co-defendants whose bonds have been set include lawyers John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro and Ray Smith.
According to NBC News, Eastman “features prominently and repeatedly in the DA’s indictment,” and has been accused of helping Trump with a “fake elector scheme” in Georgia. He faces charges such as racketeering, criminal conspiracy, and filing false documents, and he has agreed to a $100,000 bond.
Chesebro, another lawyer accused of involvement in the scheme, has also agreed to a $100,000 bond. Smith, meanwhile, has agreed to a $50,000 bond. For the RICO charge, the bond has been set at $20,000 for all three of the lawyers.
Trump and his co-defendants have until 12 noon Friday, Aug. 25, to turn themselves in at Fulton County Jail. Willis has asked for arraignments to be scheduled the week of Sept. 5, and has also suggested the trial begin in March.
This is the fourth criminal case brought against Trump, the first former president to be indicted with criminal charges. He has repeatedly denied the charges against him, accusing the prosecution of political bias. Trump remains in the running for the 2024 presidential election, leading polls in the race for the Republican nomination, said AP.
Word has it that Trump will be fingerprinted and his mug shot taken just like everyone else that is arrested in Fulton County. I can’t wait to see Trump’s mug shot. That will be golden.