Democrat Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat has shared details about the moment former President Donald Trump became the first US president to ever have his “iconic” mugshot taken. Trump was arrested last month in the Fulton County Jail for his alleged involvement in a racketeering case for questioning Georgia’s rigged 2020 election results.
During a CNN interview with Erin Burnett, Sheriff Labat described the atmosphere as “eerily quiet” when Trump arrived at the Fulton County Jail, which he oversees. Despite strict security protocols, Trump was “very stoic” and “pretty quiet” throughout the booking process, including having his mugshot taken and fingerprinted.
To speed up the process, Trump’s bank notes were “brought to the motorcade so we could get him in and out of the compound as quickly as possible,” Labat said.
Sheriff Labat said the experience was personally “heartbreaking.”
Below is the transcript of the interview:
Erin Burnett: You were there with him in your prison. What was that like for you? How would you describe his behavior when he was booked?
Sheriff Patrick Labat: Well, I’ll tell you that after 32 years on the force, I haven’t spent that long in prison. It was eerily quiet when you had so many security protocols. I’ll tell you, he came out, he was actually very stoic, in a space where he could really lean into what we were doing, what we were planning. And so we took his mugshot, took his fingerprints like we would anyone else, and finally arranged to have his bond papers taken to the motorcade so we could get him in and out of the compound as quickly as possible.
Erin Burnett: It’s interesting if you describe his behavior as stoic, that it was eerily quiet. When you went through all that, the mug shot, the figure print, did he say anything? Was he having a conversation, or was he silent?
Sheriff Patrick Labat: No, he was pretty quiet. We spoke. Our team gave very clear instructions. He took the police photo and, like everyone else, took his fingerprints. And again, he was in and out pretty quickly.
Erin Burnett: And they had no problem with it. I mean, not that he could have done that, but as far as his face, as you say, it was stoic. There was no expression.
Sheriff Patrick Labat: No, it was eerily quiet again. And really, it was heartbreaking for me, on a personal level, to see someone from that statue, who represents our country in that way, have to go through this. But again, the women and men of the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, both our sworn and professional, very professional, and ensuring that we not only keep our promise to serve our community, but really focus on the task at hand is down and the former president is out.
Erin Burnett: It’s interesting how you describe it as heartbreaking, because I think it’s important that people remember that it should apply to everyone, everyone in this country… Sheriff, in retrospect, do you think it was a mistake at all? Do you regret taking the mugshot?
Sheriff Patrick Labat: Well, if there were any regrets about the copywriting, I’ll leave that to the lawyers… We don’t know. We leave that to the legal beagles, if you like, and make sure that they actually earn their money here. So we’re refocusing on making sure we maintain the safest facility possible. But we are in a place where we can deliver on our promise, and make sure we focus on treating everyone as humanly as possible.
Watch the full interview:
Following his arrest in Atlanta, President Trump released a video statement Thursday in which he blasted “Communist Democrats in Atlanta” and announced major campaign finance victories.
The president highlighted his huge fundraising numbers — more than $10 million since the photo was taken last week — and said the radical left’s attempt to make him look like a criminal “completely and utterly failed.”
Fox reported Tuesday: “President Trump has raised more than $9.4 million since he was processed and took a mug shot in Fulton County, Georgia last week, bringing the Trump campaign’s fundraising numbers for the month of August to more than $20 million came.”
“It’s election interference; it is orchestrated by corrupt Joe Biden, the worst president in our country’s history, along with the deep state,” said President Trump. The president called the charges against him “nonsense lawsuits that you see flying around everywhere.”