CNN
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Former President Donald Trump has agreed to a $200,000 bond and other release conditions after his lawyers met with the Fulton County district attorney’s office on Monday, according to court documents reviewed by CNN.
Several co-defendants in the sweeping Georgia racketeering case have also agreed to the terms of their bond agreements with the district attorney’s office on Monday.
Trump’s lawyers Todd Blanche, Jennifer Little and Drew Findling met with the district attorney’s office on Monday before the details of the bond agreement were released. Little and Findling are both based in the state, while Blanche has taken the helm as Trump’s primary defense attorney across his multiple criminal indictments.
The release conditions outlined in Trump’s bond order are more extensive than those laid out in the others approved earlier Monday in the case.
Unlike some of his co-defendants, the former president is explicitly barred in the order from using social media to target his 18 co-defendants in the case, as well as any witnesses and the 30 unindicted co-conspirators.
“The Defendant shall perform no act to intimidate any person known to him or her to be a codefendant or witness in this case or to otherwise obstruct the administration of justice,” the order signed by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee states.
“The above shall include, but are not limited to, posts on social media or reposts of posts made by another individual on social media,” the order reads.
In addition to Trump’s bond orders, several more defendants had bond orders approved Monday. Conservative attorney John Eastman reached a $100,000 bond agreement with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, and defendant Scott Hall, a bail bondsman, also reached a bond agreement with Willis, according to court filings. Hall’s bond was set at $10,000.
Kenneth Chesebro’s bond was set at $100,000 and Ray Smith’s was was set at $50,000.
The bond orders include similar language for release, such as that defendants must report to pre-trial supervision every 30 days, and can do so by phone. They’re also barred from communicating with the other 18 co-defendants or any witnesses about the case.
All of the 19 defendants in the case who were indicted last week, including Trump, are expected to turn themselves in this week ahead of a Friday deadline set by Willis, following last week’s sweeping indictment over Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
In a typical case in Fulton County when police make an arrest, the arrestee is booked into jail and must appear before a magistrate judge within 72 hours. That most likely won’t be the case for the defendants in this racketeering case. Because they have already been indicted and are expected to negotiate the terms of release and bond before surrendering at the jail, they most likely won’t have an initial court appearance, attorneys told CNN.
Law enforcement presence remains at an elevated level at the Fulton County court complex. Dozens of law enforcement vehicles are parked, lining the two block radius around the court as well as the government center where the 19 defendants are expected to negotiate the terms of release and bond with the district attorney’s office.
Law enforcement officers from the Fulton County sheriff’s office have been taking the lead in security outside the buildings, but members from other agencies and departments – like the US Marshals Service, who are responsible for courthouse security, as well as Atlanta police – also have been seen patrolling the area and staged outside of public entrances.
According to a news release from the sheriff’s office on Monday, the barricades around the Fulton County courthouse will remain in place until Saturday. The deadline for the defendants to turn themselves in is Friday at 12 p.m. ET.
This story has been updated with additional development.
Sumber: www.cnn.com
