Former President Donald Trump’s election interference trial in Fulton County, Georgia, will be broadcast live on the court’s YouTube channel, Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee said Thursday, the latest factor that could make the case a public spectacle unlike any of Trump’s three other criminal cases.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 31: Judge Scott McAfee presides over a hearing regarding media access in ... [+]
McAfee said Thursday all hearings and trials for Trump and his 18 co-defendants will be livestreamed on YouTube, in addition to coverage by media granted access to the courtroom.
The decision is the latest detail that could set the Georgia case apart from Trump’s other criminal cases in Manhattan Criminal Court and federal courts in Washington, D.C. and Florida, none of which allow cameras in the courtroom.
Trump also had his mug shot taken for the first time last week when he surrendered to the charges in Georgia, and almost immediately after an Atlanta-area grand jury voted to indict Trump earlier this month, TV cameras captured the court clerk and judge carrying around the indictments in real-time.
A Fulton County grand jury indicted Trump and his 18 co-defendants August 14 on 41 total counts related to their efforts to overturn results of the 2020 presidential election in the state, including racketeering charges for each defendant. Trump on Thursday waived his right to an arraignment and pleaded not guilty. His legal team also filed a request Thursday to sever his case from his co-defendants who have requested speedy trials in the case. A judge granted former Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro’s request, and ordered his trial to commence October 23. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has requested the same trial date for all defendants.
McAfee set the defendants’ arraignments for September 6. Former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell and Georgia lawyer Ray Smith also waived their rights to amendments and pleaded not guilty this week.
Trump Pleads Not Guilty In Georgia Election Case (Forbes)
Trump Pushes For Separate Trial In Georgia Case As Co-Defendants Seek Trial In Just Two Months (Forbes)
Former Trump Lawyer Sidney Powell Pleads Not Guilty In Georgia Election Interference Case (Forbes)