Democrats in Congress, led by Los Angeles Rep. Adam Schiff, are pushing to allow a live broadcast of the federal trial against former President Donald Trump for his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
“We are writing to request the Judicial Conference explicitly authorize the broadcasting of court proceedings in the cases of United States of America v. Donald J. Trump,” Democrats wrote in a letter to the judge overseeing Trump’s trial, Judge Roslynn Mauskopf. It ends by specifically asking for “live broadcasting” to allow for an “unfiltered” view of the trial by the public.
Trump’s own lawyer previously called for cameras to be allowed in the courtroom during his trial as well.
It would be an exception to the standard rules in federal criminal cases, which prohibit both photography and video from the courtroom. Bipartisan legislation has previously been put forward that would allow for cameras in federal courtrooms, but it has yet to move forward.
The letter is signed by 38 members of Congress, all Democrats.
“It is imperative the Conference ensures timely access to accurate and reliable information surrounding these cases and all of their proceedings, given the extraordinary national importance to our democratic institutions and the need for transparency,” the letter reads.
The letter stresses what it calls the “historic nature” of the charges against Trump, as well as its value to the United States’ democracy.
“If the public is to fully accept the outcome, it will be vitally important for it to witness, as directly as possible, how the trials are conducted, the strength of the evidence adduced and the credibility of witnesses,” the letter continues.
You can read the full letter here, dated Thursday. Schiff also issued a press release announcing that he was calling for the live broadcast of these hearings.
