Trump ‘Calls for Sunlight’ as He Pushes to Broadcast His Washington Election Subversion Trial Live

Attorneys for Donald Trump claim that their client is 'calling for sunlight' as they seek permission for live, in-court television coverage of his trial about charges of conspiracy to invalidate his loss in the 2020 presidential election. The purpose of the live broadcast request can be to enable the former president to openly contend that the procedures against him are unjust, reported The Guardian. 

The trial in question, scheduled for March 2024, already has Trump facing gag orders issued by Judge Chutkan, who is presiding over this case. The gag orders prohibit the former president from using social media platforms, primarily Truth Social, to attack prosecutors, potential witnesses, and court staff. The court document requesting a broadcast trial could be a means to circumvent the gag orders.

The document allegedly references unverified claims that the Biden White House is persecuting Trump and backs press organizations' attempts to broadcast live television coverage from within the trial, which is set to start in March 2024. “The prosecution wishes to continue this travesty in darkness.

President Trump calls for sunlight,” defense attorneys John Lauro and Todd Blanche wrote in the filing first disclosed by POLITICO. “Every person in America, and beyond, should have the opportunity to study this case firsthand and watch as, if there is a trial, President Trump exonerates himself of these baseless and politically motivated charges.”

Federal court criminal and civil procedures cannot be aired owing to a rule that has been in place for decades. That rule is not included in the five-page response that Trump's attorneys have submitted. 

Trump, who still leads among his GOP rivals despite mounting legal troubles, believes the gag orders, as well as the fact that the public is not privy to his arguments inside court, amount to an infringement of his rights. In a new filing, Trump rails at Chutkan and Smith's team, charging them with willful interference in his efforts to be reelected to the White House the following year and with regularly breaching his rights.

“There is a high risk that proceeding behind closed doors under these circumstances would serve to further undermine confidence in the United States justice system while continuing to prejudice President Trump’s rights,” Lauro and Blanche wrote. Trump's lawyers reiterate their belief that the election was "rigged and stolen" in the final section of the document.

In recent weeks, Trump has attempted to use the four criminal prosecutions and numerous legal lawsuits against him to forward his message to the electorate. In addition, he is trying to reframe the legal risk as a platform for voters in front of the 2024 Republican primary for president.

Trump's attorneys linked their demand for widespread public access to harsh criticism of the prosecutors and the Biden administration. They claimed that TV coverage would ensure that “the American public can see firsthand that this case, just like others, is nothing more than a dreamt-up unconstitutional charade that should never be allowed to happen again.”