Former President Donald Trump is planning to surrender to arrest in Georgia on Thursday afternoon, according to his posts on Truth Social. He’s been indicted on charges of racketeering, soliciting the violation of oath by a public official, and a host of other felonies.
And he reportedly fired one of his most crucial lawyers Thursday morning.
Defense attorney Drew Findling reportedly helped to negotiate Trump’s $200,000 bond, and he’s worked on Trump’s legal team for more than two years. Now, he’s expected to be fired, insiders told ABC News on Thursday.
In Findling’s place, Trump has hired defense attorney Steve Sadow.
Sadow, the new lawyer, has confirmed his new role on Trump’s team. “I have been retained to represent President Trump in the Fulton County, Georgia, case,” Sadow said in a statement obtained by ABC News.
He’s become known for representing Atlanta fixtures like the R&B singer Usher, the popular rapper Gunna, and the boyfriend of late model-actress Anna Nicole Smith.
Regarding Sadow’s career, The New York Times reported —
More than two decades ago, Mr. Sadow was a fixture in news reports about a scandal involving an Atlanta strip club called the Gold Club, which, according to federal prosecutors, had ties to the Gambino crime family of New York and was a den of prostitution and grift.
Mr. Sadow represented the club’s owner, Steven E. Kaplan, in that case. In a deal with prosecutors, Mr. Kaplan pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering and agreed to forfeit $5 million to the government and spend three to five years in prison. The case sputtered out as other defendants pleaded guilty to lesser charges; Mr. Sadow, at the time, called the plea agreement “a very good deal for all concerned.”
Sadow has maintained Trump’s innocence and accused the county prosecutor of careerist motivations.
“Prosecutions intended to advance or serve the ambitions and careers of political opponents of the President have no place in our justice system,” Sadow said in the statement. “The President should never have been indicted. He is innocent of all the charges brought against him. We look forward to the case being dismissed or, if necessary, an unbiased, open minded jury finding the President not guilty.”
Fulton County District Attorney Fanni Willis has reportedly given Trump a Friday, 12 p.m. deadline for booking. As of Thursday, the authorities have already taken mugshots of some of Trump’s co-defendants, like former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Two other lawyers — Jennifer Little and Marissa Goldberg — also reportedly helped to negotiate Trump’s bond, but unlike Findling, they’re expected to remain on Trump’s retainer, according to reporting by The New York Times.
The Horn editorial team