Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat provided more details about former President Donald Trump’s demeanor when he surrendered at the Fulton County Jail last month.
“He came out, he was very stoic, really in a space that he was able to really lean on what we were doing, what we planned, and so we took his mug shot, took his fingerprints, as we would anybody else,” Mr. Labat told CNN late last week.
During the interview, he said that seeing the former president’s surrender at the jail weeks ago made him upset. That was, according to him, because he didn’t want to see someone of the former president’s stature having to go through the booking process at the jail, which included President Trump’s mugshot being taken.
“It was heartbreaking to see someone of that stature, and who represents our country in that fashion, having to go through this,” Mr. Labat said on Sept. 8.
Other than President Trump, 18 other co-defendants surrendered in a sprawling case brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis under Georgia’s racketeering statute. All have pleaded not guilty, while some have attempted to move their cases to a federal court.
The district attorney’s office alleged that President Trump and individuals including former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, prominent attorney Sidney Powell, former campaign lawyer Jena Ellis, and more conspired to overturn the 2020 election.
Several other defendants have also asked to be tried separately or in small groups, and President Trump, the early front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, has asked to be tried apart from anyone who files a speedy trial demand.
Several days before Mr. Labat’s comments, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee said the trial for Mrs. Powell and attorney Kenneth Chesebro would begin Oct. 23. However, he appeared to be skeptical of prosecutors’ arguments that all 19 defendants could be tried together that soon.
“It just seems a bit unrealistic to think we can handle all 19 in 40 days. That’s my initial reaction,” he said, responding to prosecutors claims.
