Giuliani surrenders to Georgia authorities in Trump election case

Atlanta, USA, Aug 23 (EFE).- Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani on Tuesday surrendered to authorities in Georgia, where he is accused of attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Giuliani, 79, was the personal lawyer of former US president Donald Trump, who lost the election to Joe Biden, the current occupant of the White House.

Before the former mayor’s surrender, his lawyers met with Fulton County District Attorney, Fani Willis, to negotiate bail conditions.

Giuliani then went to the Fulton County Jail to be fingerprinted, have his mugshot taken and post the agreed-upon $150,000 bond.

The agreement, which includes a number of rules such as not discussing the case with other defendants or witnesses unless through an attorney, was similar to those reached by other defendants in the case.

There was a media frenzy surrounding Guliani’s surrender, with his arrival at Atlanta’s airport on a private plane being broadcast live on CNN.

Earlier, as he left his New York apartment, the former mayor spoke briefly to the press, reiterating that both he and Trump were innocent.

Giuliani said his accusers “must be proven to be liars,” calling them “enemies of our republic who are destroying sacred rights”.

Giuliani’s surrender to authorities in Georgia comes after two of Trump’s 19 co-defendants also agreed to report to the Fulton jail this week.

Trump is expected to do so as early as tomorrow.

All of the defendants are accused of being part of a conspiracy to change the outcome of the 2020 election in Georgia.

According to the indictment, Giuliani is accused of being part of a scheme to have 16 Georgia Republicans act as the state’s presidential electors in an attempt to swing the election for Trump, even though Joe Biden had narrowly won the state.

Giuliani’s public image has suffered a dramatic decline in recent years, in contrast to two decades ago, when he was mayor of New York (1994-2001), and received the title of Honorary Knight of Her Majesty by Queen Elizabeth II of England.

Time magazine named him “Person of the Year” when he led New York after the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001. EFE

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