Trump Lawyers Push for Televising Jan. 6 Case – The Messenger
Former President Donald Trump's lawyers filed a motion supporting the televising of Trump's D.C. court case Friday night shortly before the midnight deadline.
"As President Trump has made clear from the outset, the prosecution has repeatedly denied him his fundamental constitutional rights, including the right to prepare for a trial to present a fulsome defense," reads the filing. "The prosecution wishes to continue this travesty in darkness. President Trump calls for sunlight."
The prosecution, headed by special counsel Jack Smith, opposed the request to televise Trump's trial as the former president faces charges related to his role in the storming of the Capitol in 2021 and attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Smith expressed concern that cameras in the courtroom during Trump's trial on the grounds might lead to witness intimidation.
NBCUniversal Media filed a motion in October requesting camera access to the courtroom.
"The American public has an extraordinary interest in seeing and hearing this trial of former President Trump," said NBC's motion. "The indictment claims that, as the sitting United States president, Mr. Trump sought to subvert the peaceful transfer of presidential power and the foundational principles of our nation’s democracy."
Video and audio recordings are not allowed in federal courtrooms, though judges are able to make exceptions, and other outlets have filed similar requests.