Former President Trump pushes for televised election interference trial
Former President Donald Trump is advocating for his federal election interference trial in Washington to be televised, joining media outlets in arguing that the American public should be able to watch the historic case unfold.
Federal court rules currently prohibit broadcasting proceedings, but The Associated Press and other news organizations contend that the unprecedented case of a former president standing trial on accusations of trying to subvert the will of voters warrants making an exception.
The Justice Department, however, is opposing the effort, arguing that the judge overseeing the case does not have the authority to ignore the long-standing nationwide policy against cameras in federal courtrooms. The trial is scheduled to begin on March 4.
Lawyers for Trump filed court papers late Friday, stating that all Americans should be able to observe the trial, characterizing it as a politically motivated prosecution of the Republican front-runner for his party’s presidential nomination in 2024. The defense also suggested Trump will use the trial as a platform to repeat his unfounded claims that the 2020 election that he lost to Democrat Joe Biden was stolen from him. Trump has pleaded not guilty.
The request for a televised trial comes as the Washington case has emerged as the most potent legal threat to Trump’s political fortunes. Trump is accused of illegally scheming to overturn the election results in the run-up to the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, by his supporters.
In a separate classified documents prosecution of Trump, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who is handling the case, pushed back multiple deadlines, making it highly unlikely the case can proceed to trial in May as planned. Trump is facing dozens of felony counts under the Espionage Act and has pleaded not guilty.
Some state courts allow cameras in the courtroom, and the public has been able to watch proceedings in the Georgia election case against Trump and 18 co-defendants. Photographers have been permitted to take photos of Trump inside the courtroom during his civil fraud trial in New York, but the trial has not been broadcast.
The Justice Department has argued that the presence of cameras in the courtroom can affect lawyers and witnesses in subtle ways and lead to grandstanding. They also cited the potential for witnesses to be harassed or threatened if their testimony is broadcast.
The federal courts adopted a new policy in September that allows live audio access to nontrial proceedings in civil and bankruptcy cases, but it does not apply in criminal cases.
News outlets had previously asked the federal courts policymakers to revise the rules to allow broadcasting, at least in cases with extraordinary public interest. The chair of the advisory committee agreed last month to establish a subcommittee to study the issue, though it’s unlikely any rules changes would come before Trump’s trial.