At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon at the Fulton Government Center, Labat stated that he sent deputies to Trump’s court appearances in both New York and Miami in order to prepare for possible future events in downtown Atlanta.
The sheriff also stated that if the former president is charged, he would probably be booked and photographed at the Rice Street jail like any other detainee. However, no president has ever been charged in Atlanta, and no detailed plans have been made for that possibility.
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“It’s irrelevant what your status is. Labat informed the journalists in the room that “if an indictment came today, we would be ready” and added, “We have a mugshot ready for you.” We are continuing with our regular procedures, unless someone informs me otherwise, he said.
The Fulton County Courthouse was surrounded by orange barricades last week, the first obvious indication of increased security before the anticipated Trump investigation charging decision. According to Labat, deputies are coordinating with regional and national law enforcement to get ready for any potential protests near the courthouse.
According to him, the objective is to maintain all regularly scheduled services in a safe environment “for those we actually service.”
As potential indictments approach, the sheriff claimed his office has looked into dozens of threats made against him, Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis, and unnamed judges in recent weeks.
Threats have been numerous, according to Labat. They began by sending emails, texts, and personal phone calls. We want to come after you and hold you accountable when you threaten people online or behave badly.
When asked if road closures should be anticipated if and when the indictments are announced, Labat replied that his team meets every day to discuss security plans but he did not provide any additional information. Instead, he advised the public to download the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office mobile app and stay updated.
He said, “Ultimately, we will respond accordingly. We will have as much lead time as is possibly available to us.”
However, he did add, “We look forward to the opportunity to show the world that we are ready.” The sheriff chose not to provide specifics regarding the number of deputies assigned to the security detail.
Willis has been looking into attempts by Trump and his allies to void Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. This includes the former president’s telephone conversation with Brad Raffensperger, the secretary of state for Georgia, in which he urged the Republican to “find” the additional 11,780 votes required to win Georgia.
Between May 2022 and January 2023, a special grand jury convened for nearly eight months, hearing testimony from about 75 witnesses and gathering proof for Willis. That investigation team lacked the authority to bring charges.
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Judge Robert McBurney of the Superior Court released a portion of the special grand jury’s final report in February with redactions. It didn’t include the people on their list of people they thought ought to face charges for various state crimes.
However, the redacted version of the report did contain a few significant revelations, such as the fact that the jurors unanimously agreed that there was no proof of widespread fraud in the state’s 2020 elections. Additionally, it stated that the majority of the jury had advised the prosecution to file perjury charges against at least one witness who they believed had lied in their testimony while under oath.