Former Trump aide surrenders to authorities in Georgia

The first co-defendants in the election racketeering case targeting former US president Donald Trump surrendered to the authorities in Georgia.

John Eastman, a former campaign attorney for Trump, and Scott Hall, a bail bondsman, were booked at the Fulton County Jail, according to jail records.

"I am here today to surrender to an indictment that should never have been brought. It represents a crossing of the Rubicon for our country, implicating the fundamental First Amendment right to petition the government for a redress of grievances," Eastman said on Tuesday.

Trump is expected to turn himself in at the same Atlanta jail on Thursday to face charges of seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election won by Democrat Joe Biden.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee set bond for the 77-year-old former president at $200,000 on Monday.

Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and the 18 other co-defendants in the landmark case have until noon (1600 GMT) on Friday to turn themselves into the authorities in Georgia.

Eastman, a conservative constitutional law scholar, is accused of drawing up a scheme to submit a false slate of Trump electors to Congress from Georgia instead of the legitimate Biden electors.

Speaking to reporters after being booked, Eastman said, "I am confident that when the law is faithfully applied in this proceeding, all of my co-defendants and I will be fully vindicated."

Asked if he continued to believe, as Trump claims, that the election was stolen, Eastman replied, "Absolutely."

He added, "No question in my mind."

Hall is charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit election fraud in connection with tampering with voting machines in Georgia.

Eastman's bond was set at $100,000 and Hall's at $10,000.

Other co-defendants

Bond has also been set for seven other co-defendants, including Jenna Ellis, a former Trump campaign attorney.

Her bond was set at $100,000.

A public crowdfunding appeal for Ellis had raised nearly $95,000 as of Tuesday to help defray her legal expenses.

Trump was indicted in Georgia last week on charges of racketeering and a string of election crimes after a sprawling, two-year probe into his efforts to overturn his election defeat to Biden in the Peach State.

Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, has asked the judge to set a trial date of March 4 next year for Trump and the other co-defendants.

Trump is facing four criminal trials as he bids for a return to the White House.

Others facing charges in the alleged Georgia conspiracy include Trump's former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows.