Former US President Donald Trump has been released on bail after completing the booking process at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta, as reported by CNN.
According to jail records, the former US President was placed under arrest and booked at the Fulton County jail on Thursday night (local US time) in connection with the Georgia election subversion case. His stay at the jail lasted approximately 20 minutes.
Addressing reporters after being arrested and released from jail, Trump asserted, "I did nothing wrong," according to CNN. He described the criminal case against him as "a travesty of justice" and defended his right to challenge an election that he believed was dishonest.
Trump was released after agreeing to a $200,000 bond and other release conditions, including refraining from using social media to intimidate co-defendants or witnesses in the case. These conditions had been negotiated by his attorneys in advance.
To cover the bond cost, the former president put up 10 percent and collaborated with a local Atlanta bonding company, Foster Bail Bonds LLC, according to sources cited by CNN.
Fulton County marked the first case in which Trump had to pay a cash bail. In Georgia, his chances of being released without cash bail were slim, especially considering he was already facing three other felony indictments.
Earlier on Thursday, Trump surrendered at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta to be booked on more than a dozen charges related to his efforts to reverse Georgia's 2020 election results, as reported by CNN.
Outside the jail, protesters could be heard chanting against District Attorney Fani Willis, who had charged Trump and 18 others in the election subversion case. Supporters of the former president chanted "Lock Fani up!"
Trump arrived at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Thursday, and law enforcement had heightened security outside the Fulton County jail in preparation for his arrival. Over ten agencies from the Metro Atlanta area were present, and canine units were deployed to ensure security. Drones were also observed in the area.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had given Trump and his 18 co-defendants a deadline of noon on Friday to voluntarily surrender after indicting them the previous week.
The Fulton County jail has faced criticism for its poor conditions, and the Justice Department opened an investigation into the facility last month following concerns about a person who died there under deplorable conditions.
Additionally, the sheriff's office announced that another inmate, held on a shoplifting charge, died in the jail on Thursday.
The state judge overseeing the case approved bail agreements for two of the defendants. John Eastman, an attorney involved in strategizing a scheme to submit false slates of pro-Trump electors, agreed to a $100,000 bond, while Scott Hall, charged in connection with an elections office breach, agreed to a $10,000 bond, according to court filings.
Willis had charged the 19 co-defendants in a 41-count indictment last week, focusing on racketeering charges. This marks the fourth set of criminal charges faced by Trump, according to The Hill.
