Harrison Floyd remains in jail, says he can't afford private lawyer



One of Donald Trump's co-defendants in a wide-ranging election-fraud case in Georgia remained behind bars on Friday, after he told a judge that he could not afford a private attorney to represent him and was denied bond.

Harrison Floyd said at his first court appearance that he could not afford a private lawyer and had been denied representation by a public defender because he did not qualify.

Floyd, who appeared virtually, said that it typically cost between $40,000 to $100,000 just to retain a private lawyer to fly to Georgia.

"I cannot afford an attorney for something like this," he said, telling Fulton County Superior Court Judge Emily Richardson that he did not want to put his family in debt.

Richardson told Floyd that he could either hire a lawyer or represent himself.

It was not immediately clear why Floyd was told he could not be represented by a public defender. Generally, defendants must meet certain financial requirements to qualify.

For now, Floyd will remain in Fulton County Jail, which is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice for violence and unsanitary conditions, as well as 15 inmate deaths last year. One of those was a man whose family says in a lawsuit was "eaten alive" by bedbugs.

Floyd had maintained that he was not a flight risk, but he was told that the issue of the bond would ultimately be decided by Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing the case.

Trump and the 17 others charged in the case have already reported to jail and posted bond.

Floyd, a former U.S. Marine and mixed martial arts fighter, is accused of participating in a scheme to pressure an election worker to falsely admit to voting fraud.

In a separate case, Floyd was arrested in Maryland in May and charged with assaulting FBI agents who tried to serve him with a subpoena, court records show.

All 18 other defendants in the case have been released after posting bond.

And because I read more than one article if I have an interest in something:

*    Floyd, a 39-year-old U.S. Marine veteran, served as the director of the political group Black Voices for Trump during the 2020 election cycle, and was charged last week in the Fulton County case with violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, for influencing a witness and conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements.

*    Black Voices for Trump held campaign events in majority Black neighborhoods as well as targeted social media ads to increase turnout for Trump, for example focusing on the importance of Black Republicans in Milwaukee, and focusing on highlighting ways that African Americans have benefited from the Trump economy.  The organization also released merchandise focusing on Black millennials and hosted online "Black Voices for Trump Real Talk" events.

Pimping for Trump has a dark side.