‘It’s Not 1918!’: Former Prosecutor Wants TV Cameras To Cover Trump's Trial
Under federal indictment, former president also frontrunner for the 2024 nomination
It's in the interests of the American people to allow cameras in the courtroom to follow Donald Trump's trial on federal charges that he tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
That's according to a prominent attorney and former federal prosecutor.
Trump was in court for the first time Thursday to answer for this latest federal indictment, entering a plea of “not guilty,” on four counts that he tried to illegally hold on to power in the White House.
This is a trial which many are saying is compelling for the American people, given that Trump is not only a former president, but also the presumptive favorite to win the Republican nomination for president next year.
Because of the current policy of the federal judiciary not to allow cameras, the only view Americans were afforded was a sketch artist’s rendering of Trump's arraignment.
That should not suffice going forward, according to Elie Honig, a TV legal analyst a former prosecutor in the federal Southern District of New York.
“But the American people have to see this,” he said. “If we don't have cameras in the courtroom, here's what we're going to have: We're going to have young reporters, running in and out of that courtroom, texting us, trying to recount what happens.
“Two or three hours, after the end of every trial, they will get a 300-page transcript that some court reporter typed up, and we'll get sketch drawings,” Honig added. “It's not 1918 here. It's 2023. We need to get with it.”
The decision to allow cameras tests solely with one man: Chief Justice John Roberts, in his role as the administrative head of the entire federal judiciary.
Please support our work…
Please subscribe…