Former US President Donald Trump turned himself in to authorities in Fulton County, Georgia on Thursday to be booked on charges tied to alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state.
He was released on a $200,000 bond nearly 20 minutes after being booked at the Fulton County Jail, where he was fingerprinted and had his mugshot taken, becoming the first US president in history, past or present, to do so.
Noting that it was a "very sad day for America,” he told reporters at Atlanta’s airport that his arrest was an example of "election interference.”
"What has taken place here is a travesty of justice. We did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong, and everybody knows that I've never had such support," he said.
"We have every right, every single right to challenge an election that we think is dishonest," he said before boarding his ‘Trump Force One’ jet.
Later, Trump posted his first tweet on X, formerly known as Twitter, since Jan 8, 2021, sharing a photo of his first mugshot with a note saying "ELECTION INTERFERENCE," "NEVER SURRENDER!"
Trump's account on the social media platform was reinstated by its CEO Elon Musk late last year, reversing a ban on the former US president's account imposed in January 2021 over his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.
Trump faces 13 criminal counts, including violations of the Georgia state RICO Act, solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer and conspiracy to commit false statements.
Trump, like 18 other individuals indicted by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis earlier this month, faced a Friday deadline to surrender or be served with an arrest warrant.
Former Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell turned themselves in on Wednesday.
All of the co-defendants are accused of being part of a criminal conspiracy that sought to illegally manipulate Georgia and other states' election results with the intent of keeping Trump in power.
Trump has now been indicted four times in state and federal courts since he left office. The charges range from hush money payments to an adult film star, efforts to overturn national election results, unlawful retention of classified documents and efforts to prevent investigators from completing their duties.
Willis' probe was sparked by a Jan. 2, 2021 phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which he urged the senior state official to "find 11,780 votes,” the number he would have needed to win the battleground state. A recording of the call was later leaked to the media.
The investigation went on to include a probe of fake local electors who attempted to certify fraudulent election results in Trump's favor.
