Police have released the mugshot of Donald Trump following his arrest in Georgia following his indictment for allegedly attempting to overturn the results of the US election.
A total of 19 people have been indicted in the case, including Trump's White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, his attorney Rudy Giuliani and former assistant attorney general Jeffrey Clark.
The investigation stems from a phone call Trump made to Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger on 2 January, 2021 where he allegedly urged him to 'find 11,780 votes'.
According to the indictment: "Trump and the other defendants charged in this indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and wilfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favour of Trump.
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"That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the state of Georgia, and in other states."
Such are the charges against Trump and his 18 co-conspirators, which they have denied, but what is undeniable is that he received his mugshot after being booked in at Fulton County Jail, Georgia.
Trump had refused to have his mugshot taken for his previous indictments, though that didn't stop him from creating a photoshopped one and selling it as merchandise.
He's sold pictures of his previously mocked-up mugshot accompanied by the caption 'not guilty', though of course, that's for the actual courts to decide.
The real mugshot is likely to be an image that will follow Trump around for a long time and one that he will likely attempt to make use of himself in the future.
The former US president's team have claimed that Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis is 'a rabid partisan', while she has said: "I refuse to fail."
If convicted in Georgia, there would be no way out for Trump, if he becomes president again in 2024, he can either order the Justice Department to stand down their investigation against him or pardon himself.
However, presidents can only pardon federal crimes and the Georgia case focuses on state level only, and the state governor can't issue pardons either, meaning he's pretty much stuck.
Law professor Danny Karon told UNILAD that if convicted in Georgia, it would be years before Trump's sentence could possibly be overturned.
He explained: "Whereas he's got the authority to meddle with federal results, he can't do the same in Georgia.
"The only way the Georgia case could get flipped is by this outfit called the State Board of Pardons [and Paroles]. And the State Board of Pardons can't undo a conviction of felony conviction for the first five years.
"I think a lot of it hinges on the Georgia case. If he winds up in jail maybe he would have to conduct all the activities from his cell because he can't get out."
The legal expert also explained that Trump could be looking at 'up to 20 years in jail' if found guilty, and called the Georgia case 'a really well formulated indictment'.
Topics: US News, News, Donald Trump, Crime, Politics
Joe Harker