Donald Trump Arraignment: Lawyers Oppose Broadcasting of Former President's Arraignment in New York
A contentious dispute has erupted between Donald Trump's lawyers and media outlets over the broadcast of his upcoming arraignment in New York. The former president is expected to be indicted on charges related to alleged financial crimes.
In a letter to Acting New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan, Trump's attorneys argued that granting media access would create a "circus-like atmosphere" and raise unique security concerns. They claimed that the presence of cameras and reporters would heighten the risk of security breaches and potentially compromise the defendant's right to a fair trial.
"We submit that the media request should be denied because it will create a circus-like atmosphere at the arraignment, raise unique security concerns, and is inconsistent with President Trump’s presumption of innocence," the Trump team said in their letter.
Meanwhile, prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney's office have expressed some support for granting camera access to certain news outlets. However, they noted that there does not appear to be a categorical prohibition on cameras during an arraignment under existing New York statutes and case law.
In a previous instance, similar audio-video broadcasting was allowed for the 2021 arraignment of Donald Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg in a tax fraud case. The judge permitted still photographs to be taken prior to the proceedings.
The dispute is set to come before Judge Merchan on Monday, who will ultimately decide whether to grant or deny media access during the arraignment.
A contentious dispute has erupted between Donald Trump's lawyers and media outlets over the broadcast of his upcoming arraignment in New York. The former president is expected to be indicted on charges related to alleged financial crimes.
In a letter to Acting New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan, Trump's attorneys argued that granting media access would create a "circus-like atmosphere" and raise unique security concerns. They claimed that the presence of cameras and reporters would heighten the risk of security breaches and potentially compromise the defendant's right to a fair trial.
"We submit that the media request should be denied because it will create a circus-like atmosphere at the arraignment, raise unique security concerns, and is inconsistent with President Trump’s presumption of innocence," the Trump team said in their letter.
Meanwhile, prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney's office have expressed some support for granting camera access to certain news outlets. However, they noted that there does not appear to be a categorical prohibition on cameras during an arraignment under existing New York statutes and case law.
In a previous instance, similar audio-video broadcasting was allowed for the 2021 arraignment of Donald Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg in a tax fraud case. The judge permitted still photographs to be taken prior to the proceedings.
The dispute is set to come before Judge Merchan on Monday, who will ultimately decide whether to grant or deny media access during the arraignment.
. and honestly how much of a circus can one man really bring? the lawyers are just trying to save face here, but at the end of the day its all about publicity and trump wanting to be seen as still relevant 
. let's get this over with already and move on from this drama 
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. It's not like he's some kind of celebrity (although, let's be real, he kinda is). Can't they just see that this is all just part of the process and not make a big deal out of it? 
. And what's with the "circus-like atmosphere" thing? That sounds like something Trump would say to try and spin it 
.
This whole thing just feels like a big mess, you know? Like, can't we all just have one civil conversation about this? 
, just a little bit of insight into what's going down.
. It's almost like he's trying to create some kind of drama around this whole thing, rather than actually focusing on the issue at hand: what's going on in that courtroom? 
!
. I'm all for transparency but like, a "circus-like atmosphere"? Sounds like someone's just trying to avoid accountability 
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It'd be cool to see him walk into court and get yelled at by the judge in front of everyone watching on live TV 
. Plus, who needs security breaches when you've got 1000 security guards 
️
. On the other hand, I can understand why security concerns are a thing - you don't want anything to disrupt the proceedings or compromise the trial 
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. The public has a right to know what's going on with our justice system, especially when someone as high-profile as Trump is involved 
. maybe they should just focus on getting the indictment done already 
...
. i mean, what's the real purpose of this arraignment anyway? is it just a show for the cameras or an actual attempt at justice? 
. But on the other hand, isn't this the guy who's supposed to be held accountable for his actions? It seems kinda fishy that he's trying to block media access when everyone else is being transparent about their own cases 
