CNN analyst John Dean recently commented on the potential arrest and surrender of ex-President Donald Trump in relation to a new indictment announced by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The indictment includes 13 counts related to election crimes, and both Trump and 18 co-defendants have been given until August 25 to surrender for arrest and arraignment. Trump is expected to surrender on Thursday.
During a segment on CNN Tonight, anchor Jim Acosta discussed the significance of Trump’s surrender and the conditions he might face. John Dean weighed in on the matter, highlighting the conditions of the Fulton County Jail where Trump is expected to surrender. Dean characterized the jail as a “hellhole” that has garnered negative national attention. He suggested that while Trump might not be swayed by the conditions, his alleged accomplices might reconsider their stance.
Dean explained that defendants facing charges in the newly-indicted case might think twice about standing trial or pursuing a deal after being exposed to the harsh conditions of the jail. However, Dean acknowledged that Trump tends to be a “double-down guy” and might not be easily deterred.
Acosta also touched upon the unique circumstances of Trump’s surrender, noting that the sheriff has indicated that if Trump is arrested, he will be required to pose for a mugshot, which would then be made available to the press. This unusual spectacle was seen as potentially impactful given Trump’s penchant for controlling his image.
Mark McKinnon, a former adviser to George W. Bush and John McCain, who also participated in the discussion, emphasized that the judge overseeing the case has shown a willingness to treat Trump like any other defendant. McKinnon noted the contrast between Trump’s absence from a national Republican debate and his impending appearance in a federal courthouse for his potential mugshot.
ACOSTA: And we’ve seen Trump motorcade in and out of his previous court appearances, John. I mean, do you think that this surrender could hit Trump a little differently than the ones that came before? And that — this is — I mean, somebody who is kind of the master of the spectacle, I don’t think this is the spectacle that he really wants to see or be a part of.
DEAN: No. The jail he’s going to surrender at is a hellhole. It has been — it has received a lot of negative and national attention. I think any of the defendants in this newly-charged case who get a whiff of that place may think twice about whether they want to stand trial or try to work out a deal.
I don’t think Trump will do that. He’s always the double-down guy. But, you know, I hope they do treat him like any other person and don’t give him special treatment. But he does have a Secret Service detail that has to protect him. So that will make some exception.
ACOSTA: Yeah, it’s going to be a wild scene, Mark and Van. I mean, Mark, let me just go to you. If 18 people get mugshots and Trump does not, if he somehow manages to not get a mugshot next week, although — I mean, from what the sheriff is indicating, it sounds like this is going to happen. But if he doesn’t, how is that going to play?
MARK MCKINNON, FORMER ADVISER TO GEORGE W. BUSH AND JOHN MCCAIN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF “THE CIRCUS”: Well, I think if the other 18 are, then he’s likely to. What we’re seeing from this judge increasingly is that she doesn’t intend to treat him any differently than the rest of the defendants.
The thing that’s unprecedented and fascinating about next week is that on the one hand, we’re going to have a national republican debate where Trump will not be on stage, and yet just the following day, he will be in a federal courthouse where we may see a mugshot. So, we may see a mugshot of Donald Trump, but we won’t see his face on the national stage in the debate, which is an interesting diametrically opposed visual that we’re not used to seeing with Donald Trump.
