Donald Trump is pushing to have his federal election interference trial in Washington televised, joining media outlets that say the American public should be able to watch the historic case unfold.
The Justice Department opposes the attempt to broadcast the trial, which is scheduled to begin in March, noting that federal court rules prohibit televised proceedings.
News organizations, including the News21USA, have argued that there has never been a federal case that justifies making an exception to that rule more than a former president on trial over accusations that he attempted to subvert the will of voters in an election.
Trump’s lawyers, who have characterized the case against him as politically motivated, said in court papers late Friday that «everyone in the United States and beyond should have the opportunity to study this case firsthand.»
“President Trump absolutely agrees, and in fact demands, that these proceedings be fully televised so that the American public can see firsthand that this case, like others, is nothing more than a concocted unconstitutional sham that should never be allowed. “This will happen again,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.
Trump was charged with felonies in August for working to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, in the run-up to the violent riot at the US Capitol by his supporters. Trump is the Republican favorite for his party’s presidential nomination in 2024.
The request for a televised trial comes as the federal election case in Washington has become the most potent and direct legal threat to Trump’s political fortunes.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan appears determined to keep the Washington trial date on schedule.
On Friday, the federal judge in the separate prosecution of classified Trump documents delayed multiple deadlines in a way that makes it highly unlikely that that case could proceed to trial next May as planned. Trump faces dozens of felony charges under the Espionage Act.
Richer reported from Boston. News21USA writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.
