OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former President Donald Trump’s mugshot from Fulton County, Ga., has backfired tremendously against Democrats while also serving as a boon to his campaign.
In the 24-hour period after the mugshot was released late Thursday, Trump’s campaign raked in more than $7.1 million, according to Breitbart News.
“If you are doing poorly due to the sinister people in control of our country right now, don’t even think about donating,” Trump’s webpage read. “But if you can, please make a contribution to evict Crooked Joe Biden from the White House and SAVE AMERICA during this dark chapter in our nation’s history.”
In addition, the campaign began selling Trump merch with “NEVER SURRENDER!” on it — which he wrote on the X platform, formerly Twitter, with his mugshot hours after its release.
“BREAKING: Close to $20m raised in the last 3 weeks, coinciding with indictment in DC and the Atlanta mugshot. $7.1m since Thursday (Atlanta mugshot). $4.18m yesterday (Friday) alone, the highest grossing day of the entire campaign. Organic money has skyrocketed, especially after @realDonaldTrump tweeted out the picture along with the website URL,” former Trump White House official Steven Cheung tweeted.
Meanwhile, the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee is pressing Democratic Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to provide details regarding her prosecution of former President Donald Trump.
“Your indictment and prosecution implicate substantial federal interests, and the circumstances surrounding your actions raise serious concerns about whether they are politically motivated,” says a letter sent to Willis by the committee.
The panel lashed out at Willis for appearing to politicize her prosecution of the former president.
“Turning first to the question of motivation, it is noteworthy that just four days before this indictment, you launched a new campaign fundraising website that highlighted your investigation into President Trump,” the letter goes on to say.
“Additionally, the forewoman of the special grand jury you convened to investigate President Trump earlier this year bragged during an unusual media tour about her excitement at the prospect of subpoenaing President Trump and getting to swear him in,” the letter continued.
“Last week, the Fulton County Superior Court’s Clerk publicly released a list of criminal charges against President Trump reportedly hours before the vote of the grand jury,” the letter goes on. “A Fulton County court has disqualified you from targeting current Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones as part of your probe on the grounds that you actively supported and held fundraising events for his Democratic opponent.
“And unlike officials in other jurisdictions, Fulton County officials ‘have suggested [they] will process [the former President] as [a] typical criminal defendant, requiring mug shots and possibly even cash bond,’” which happened, the letter noted further.
The committee’s chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), then chided Willis over her timing of the indictment.
“The timing of this prosecution reinforces concerns about your motivation,” the letter said. “In February 2021, news outlets reported that you directed your office to open an investigation into President Trump. Indeed, sometime on or around February 11, 2021, your office purportedly sent a letter to several Republican officials in Georgia, requesting that they preserve documents relating to a ‘matter . . . of high priority’ that your office was investigating.
“Yet, you did not bring charges until two-and-a-half years later, at a time when the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination is in full swing. Moreover, you have requested that the trial in this matter begin on March 4, 2024, the day before Super Tuesday and eight days before the Georgia presidential primary,” the letter adds. “It is therefore unsurprising many have speculated that this indictment and prosecution are designed to interfere with the 2024 presidential election.”
Jordan listed additional questions on the X platform.
“Was Fulton County DA Fani Willis working with [special prosecutor] Jack Smith? Was she communicating with the Executive Branch? Were any federal funds used in the investigation of President Trump?” he wrote.
