'It's just that simple': Expert makes case for Congress allowing public to view Trump case
Donald Trump's Jan. 6 case in D.C. should be televised, and if the court won't do it, Congress perhaps could, a legal expert argued on Friday.
Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance, who earlier in the day sounded the alarm about one "particularly disturbing" part of Trump's recent court filing, decided to ditch the current popular news stories and talk about court transparency.
"There’s a lot of legal news brewing right now. All of it is important, and all of it matters. We will get to it over the next few days," Vance wrote. "But tonight, I want to switch gears and ask an important question about what Congress has the ability to do. If you like my idea, perhaps you’ll take advantage of the opportunity to ask/demand that your elected representatives on the Hill follow suit."
She went on to outline a proposed piece of legislation that would "provide remote access to court proceedings for victims of the 1988 Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland."
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"The bill provides victims' family members access to court proceedings no matter where they are located," she said, explaining that the bill is already on President Joe Biden's desk.
"This new law will mean that affected people who are too old or infirm to travel to Washington, D.C., or those who are too far away to readily make the trip will still be able to observe court proceedings," Vance wrote. "Prosecutors at the Justice Department supported the move because they thought it was important for people affected by the crime to see justice in action. Of course it is."
This template, she argues, could pave the way for Congress to allow recording in Trump's D.C. courtroom.
"Apparently, it’s just that simple. Congress can do it if the courts won’t," the ex-prosecutor said. "They can do it in just a couple of months. And while DOJ objected to opening up access to the January 6 case against Donald Trump when news organizations made the request, that doesn’t seem to be an institutional policy that has to apply in all cases. Access to court proceedings is fitting for a serious and important criminal proceeding like the one Donald Trump is charged in. And the same sort of law must be adopted so all Americans can have access to proceedings in the prosecution of Donald Trump."
