Former Justice Department Official Is Booked in Trump Georgia Case

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Jeffrey A. Clark, the former high-ranking Justice Department official criminally charged in Georgia in connection with efforts to overturn Donald J. Trump’s 2020 election loss in that state, was booked at the Fulton County Jail early on Friday, a few hours after the former president’s dramatic booking at the same Atlanta facility.

Mr. Clark was one of five defendants in the case who turned themselves in at the jail after Mr. Trump did so at 7:35 p.m. Thursday, their appearances stretching well into the night.

The last two defendants in the case, Trevian C. Kutti and Steven C. Lee, surrendered on Friday morning. The Fulton County district attorney, Fani T. Willis, had set a deadline of noon for all 19 defendants to turn themselves in or face arrest.

All but one of the defendants negotiated bail agreements with prosecutors ahead of time and were released immediately after being processed at the jail. The one defendant who did not do so was still being held at the jail on Friday.

Mr. Clark, a former assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil division, was released on a $100,000 bond.

In addition to the state racketeering charge that all 19 defendants face, Mr. Clark faces a felony charge of criminal attempt to commit false statements and writings, based on a letter he wanted to send in December 2020 to state officials in Georgia falsely claiming that the Justice Department had “identified significant concerns” that would affect the state’s election results.

Several of the defendants, including Mr. Clark, are seeking to have their cases shifted to federal court, a relatively uncommon step that is known as removal. Under federal law, state criminal prosecutions can be moved to federal court if the case involves federal officials acting “under color” of their office.

Earlier this week, U.S. District Court Judge Steve Jones rejected efforts by Mr. Clark and another defendant — Mark Meadows, Mr. Trump’s former White House chief of staff — to avoid having to be booked at the county jail while they were seeking removal of their cases. Hearings on their removal requests are scheduled for September.

The last two defendants to surrender were involved in what the indictment describes as a conspiracy to intimidate a state election worker, Ruby Freeman, who was seen in a video that the Trump camp falsely claimed showed ballots being double-counted.

State officials quickly debunked the allegation, pointing out that election workers must re-scan ballots when a machine fails to read them the first time. Even so, Ms. Freeman and another poll worker were demonized and threatened by Trump supporters.

Prosecutors say Mr. Lee, a pastor from Illinois, traveled to Atlanta and knocked on Ms. Freeman’s door on Dec. 15, 2020, to try to persuade her to say publicly that there had been election fraud. Among the charges Mr. Lee faces is witness tampering. Jail records show he was booked and released on $75,000 bond.

Outside the jail, Mr. Lee’s lawyer, David Shestokas, told reporters his client had done nothing wrong. “People knock on doors all the time,” he said.

Ms. Kutti is a Chicago music publicist who prosecutors say traveled to Atlanta on Jan. 3, 2021, and put pressure on Ruby Freeman on Mr. Trump’s behalf, suggesting to Ms. Freeman that she was in danger, the indictment said.

Ms. Kutti surrendered on Friday morning and was booked and released on $75,000 bond, jail records showed.

A third defendant accused of harassing Ms. Freeman, Harrison Floyd, a political organizer from Rockville, Md., did not negotiate a bail agreement with prosecutors and was held overnight at the jail.

It remained unclear on Friday when he would appear for a bail hearing before Judge Scott McAfee of the Fulton County Superior Court, who is handing the election interference case.

According to the indictment, Mr. Floyd, who was active with a group called Black Voices for Trump, recruited Ms. Kutti to speak to Ms. Freeman after Mr. Lee called him to report that his effort had fallen flat. Mr. Floyd also joined a Jan. 5 telephone conversation with Ms. Kutti and Ms. Freeman, the indictment said.

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