By WASHINGTON — Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee said Thursday that all court proceedings related to former President Donald Trump’s election interference case will be streamed live for the public.
McAfee also said that members of the press will be allowed to use their computers and cellphones inside the courtroom provided that the devices are not used to record the trial.
While Federal courts largely prohibit photography and recording in the courtroom, Fulton County broadcasts judicial proceedings on its YouTube channel.
The broadcasting of Trump’s proceedings would give the public unprecedented access to what will be one of the most high-profile trials in American history.
Earlier this month, congressional Democrats, led by California Rep. Adam Schiff, called for Trump’s federal criminal trials to be televised.
“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,” Schiff and 37 members of his caucus wrote in a letter to Judge Roslynn Mauskopf, who heads the administrative offices of U.S. Courts.
The letter was released within hours of Trump’s arraignment in Washington, D.C., where the former president pleaded not guilty to four charges related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Trump, the current Republican presidential front-runner, is facing 13 felony counts including racketeering, soliciting false statements and criminal conspiracy. He pleaded not guilty Thursday and will be arraigned on Sept. 6.
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Trump has been cagey on the question of whether he wants cameras at his upcoming trial in Georgia.
In a New York City case where he is accused of filing false business records, Trump’s lawyers opposed a request from media outlets in April to allow cameras in court.
But another of Trump’s lawyers, John Lauro, said earlier this month that cameras in court would be fine.
“I personally would love to see that,” Lauro said in a Fox News interview, adding, “I’m convinced the Biden administration does not want the American people to see” Trump on trial.
