‘We’ll be ready,’ Donald Trump may have to pose for a mugshot if he gets fourth indictment in Georgia

Former US President Donald Trump may soon face an unwelcome photo opportunity if he is indicted for a fourth time in Georgia over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.

The sheriff of Fulton County, where the investigation is taking place, said that Trump would likely have to pose for a mug shot like any other defendant.

Sheriff Pat Labat told reporters on Tuesday that his office would follow the “normal practices” for booking and processing suspects, regardless of their status or fame. He said that if Trump receives an indictment from the Fulton County District Attorney’s office, he would expect him to have his mug shot taken and made available to the public.

“Unless somebody tells me differently, we are following our normal practices, and so it doesn’t matter your status,” Labat said.

“We’ll have a mug shot ready for you.”

Labat added that his office was prepared for any potential backlash or threats that might arise from the case, which has drawn national attention and scrutiny. He said that he and other officials involved in the probe, such as District Attorney Fani Willis and judges, have already received some threats, but his department has investigated them and will continue to do so.

“Our goal is to protect not just the DA — the judges and everybody that has received those threats,” he said.

“We’ve done a really good job of running those to ground. And again, as those individuals continue to make threats, go after those bad actors and hold them accountable.”

Willis’ office has been looking into whether the former President and his allies violated any state laws by pressuring Georgia officials to overturn his defeat in the state, which he lost by about 12,000 votes to President Joe Biden.

The investigation was triggered by a phone call that Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in January 2021, in which he urged him to “find, uh, 11,780 votes” — enough to change the outcome of the election.

A special grand jury was convened earlier this year to assist in the inquiry, and it completed its work in May.

The 77-year-old former President’s lawyers tried to stop the investigation, but their motion was denied by a judge. Willis hinted that she was ready to bring charges soon.

“The work is accomplished. We’ve been working for 2.5 years. We’re ready to go,” Willis said in a recent interview.

Trump is already facing three other indictments related to his efforts to challenge the election results. He was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury in April on 34 counts of fraud, tax evasion, and other crimes. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in June on 37 counts (later increased to 40) of conspiracy, obstruction, and civil rights violations. And he was indicted by a special counsel on Tuesday on four counts of conspiracy, obstruction, and fraud.

The 45th US President has denied any wrongdoing and called the investigations a witch hunt. He is scheduled to appear in court in Washington, DC, on Thursday for his arraignment on the special counsel charges.

Trump is the first former or sitting US president to face criminal charges, although Ulysses S. Grant was once arrested for speeding in his horse and buggy.