(Washington) The special prosecutor who is investigating the case against Donald Trump for his alleged illicit attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Jack Smith, asked the judge on Monday to oppose the televised trial requested by the ex-president.
Several media outlets requested authorization in October to broadcast the proceedings of this criminal trial scheduled for March 4, 2024 in Washington, citing the unprecedented nature of the event. Judge Tanya Chutkan asked both parties to rule on this request for an exception to the rules of federal trials.
Donald Trump’s defense indicated last week that they supported this request, once again calling out the legal persecution of a “political opponent” by the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden.
“The prosecution wants to continue this travesty in the dark. President Trump calls for light,” his lawyers wrote.
The favorite of the Republican primaries said Saturday during an electoral rally “that he wants cameras in every inch of this court” in order to be able to expose what he denounces as the exploitation of justice to eliminate him from the race for office. the White House in 2024.
The prosecutor accused the ex-president of “demanding special treatment”, arguing in his response that the long-standing ban on broadcasting of the proceedings was precisely aimed at ensuring “fair and orderly” federal trials, citing in particular the “risk of witness intimidation”.
PHOTO J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Special Prosecutor Jack Smith
“Rather, he wants to create a carnival atmosphere that he hopes to take advantage of by diverting attention from the charges against him,” adds Jack Smith, using an expression used by the judge during a hearing two months ago.
Mme Chutkan had warned on August 11 that she would not let the debates take place in a media “carnival atmosphere”.
The prosecutor also recalls that Donald Trump has “constantly expressed his desire to delay this trial, or even to ensure that it does not take place at all”.