Former President Donald Trump added a new member to his legal defense team ahead of his arraignment at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia after he was indicted on 13 counts earlier this month.
Longtime criminal defense lawyer Steve Sadow confirmed to news outlets Thursday that he has joined the former president’s team. Notably, Mr. Sadow has represented a number of high-profile celebrities, including former NFL star Ray Lewis, rapper T.I., rapper Rick Ross, singer Usher, and others.
“I have been retained to represent President Trump in the Fulton County, Georgia case,” Mr. Sadow said. “The President should never have been indicted. He is innocent of all the charges brought against him. We look forward to the case being dismissed or, if necessary, an unbiased, open minded jury finding the President not guilty. Prosecutions intended to advance or serve the ambitions and careers of political opponents of the President have no place in our justice system.”
Earlier this week, President Trump confirmed he would be surrendering at the Fulton jail Thursday, coming a day after several co-defendants turned themselves in. That includes former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former election lawyer Jenna Ellis, and Sidney Powell.
Officials have said that President Trump’s bond was set at $200,000, while his mug shot will also be taken. District Attorney Fani Willis has given all of the defendants until Friday afternoon to surrender at the main Fulton County jail.
His attorneys and prosecutors have already agreed to a bond of $200,000, along with conditions that include barring the former president from intimidating co-defendants, witnesses or victims in the case, including on social media.
“Can you believe it? I’ll be going to Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday to be ARRESTED by a Radical Left District Attorney, Fani Willis, who is overseeing one of the greatest Murder and Violent Crime DISASTERS in American History,” President Trump wrote on his social media platform on Monday.
In a later post confirming the development, the former president maintained his innocence and instead said he’s proud to have been arrested for standing up for election integrity.
“Nobody has ever fought for election integrity like President Donald J. Trump,” he wrote. “For doing so, I will proudly be arrested tomorrow afternoon in Georgia. God bless the United States of America!!!”
Meanwhile, there were unconfirmed reports circulating Thursday that the former president replaced his existing lawyer Drew Finding with Mr. Sadow. Neither Mr. Finding nor President Trump have commented on those reports, which cited anonymous sources.
The Epoch Times has contacted Mr. Findling’s office for comment Thursday.
The Fulton County prosecution is the fourth criminal case against President Trump since March, when he became the first former president in U.S. history to be indicted. Since then, he’s faced federal charges in Florida and Washington, and this month he was indicted in Atlanta with 18 others.
The criminal cases have spurred a succession of bookings and arraignments, with the former president making brief court appearances before returning to the campaign trail. He’s turned the appearances into campaign events amid a far lighter schedule than his rivals, with staff delighting in wall-to-wall media coverage that has included news helicopters tracking his every move.
When President Trump eventually appears in court, the public is also likely to see much more of the proceedings firsthand. Georgia courts typically allow photographs and video of the proceeding, unlike in federal court and in New York, where press access is tightly controlled.
Only in Manhattan were still photographers allowed to capture images of the former president briefly while he sat on the witness stand. Federal courts generally prohibit photography, recordings, and electronics of any kind.
Unlike in other jurisdictions, in Fulton County, arraignments generally happen after a defendant surrenders at the jail and completes the booking process, not on the same day. That means President Trump could have to make two trips to Georgia in the coming weeks though the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office has said some arraignments in the case may happen virtually if the judge allows, or he could waive the arraignment.
The booking also comes a day after the first Republican presidential debate—that President Trump did not attend. Instead, the former president appeared in a pre-recorded interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, where they discussed a range of topics.
