A large crowd of reporters and demonstrators was amassing around the Fulton County Jail Thursday morning in anticipation of the arrival of former President Donald Trump, who is expected to turn himself in this afternoon.
Georgia Recorder reporter and photographer Ross Williams estimated there to be hundreds of journalists, demonstrators, and curiosity seekers outside the jail on Rice Street as the August heat intensified.
Some of them were supporters of the former president who gathered for a planned rally that was more of a show of support. When police erected additional security barricades Thursday morning, the crowd started chanting “build the wall.”
But Trump’s scheduled jailhouse appearance also attracted critics of the former GOP president who want to see him held accountable for his alleged actions in the wake of the 2020 presidential election.
Trump has been charged with 13 counts – including a racketeering and corruption offense – in what prosecutors say was a plot to overturn the election in Georgia and other key states. In Georgia, he lost by nearly 12,000 votes, making him the first Republican presidential candidate to lose here in three decades.
He posted on Truth Social Wednesday that he “will proudly be arrested” Thursday afternoon.
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As of 8:02 p.m. Aug. 23, 2023, 11:25 p.m.
Ten defendants in the Fulton County election interference case are still due at the county jail this week, but Thursday will be all about one of them: former President Donald Trump.
Trump, who has agreed to a $200,000 bond, posted on Truth Social that he “will proudly be arrested” Thursday afternoon.
A rally is planned for him outside the jail Thursday morning, and some supporters – as well as his critics – were already standing alongside the road Wednesday despite the withering heat.
Two of Trump’s other attorneys, Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis, were also booked and released Wednesday. Powell, who faces seven charges, agreed to a $100,000 bond. Ellis faces two charges and agreed to a $100,000 bond. All told, seven defendants were booked Wednesday, and two surrendered Tuesday.
This live coverage comes from the Georgia Recorder, an affiliate of the nonprofit States Newsroom network, which includes the Florida Phoenix.
This article originally appeared in florida phoenix