Donald Trump’s fourth indictment out of Georgia distinguishes itself from the federal felony indictments in certain ways: its scope is broader, with 19 people indicted. Trump can’t just pardon himself if he’s reelected.
With live cameras on him for the entire trial, will Trump be able to resist testifying? Can he just sit there with that sourpuss face for the whole thing? Stay tuned! For a year or more, unfortunately before it starts.
And, the subsequent trial will likely be televised.
Another “Trial of the Century”, eh? Jerry Springer’s ghost is putting on a big ole rictus grin. Will we have “The Dancing McAfees?”
I’d guess the answers to both questions will be yes; although, I expect he’ll show up with an emery board if he’s required to be there.
That’ll give him a means to alleviate his boredom and act out the disdain he puts on for the proceedings.
I wish it could be set up like old-style CSPAN, with just a bunch of camera feeds, no zooms/pans, no pulling out the sound bites. Because you know that Certain Networks will televise the thrilling false statements by tfg’s lawyers, and then unaccountably omit the sound of the gavel, the warning from the bench, and the withdrawal of those remarks.
Maybe a rule that an outlet can stream gavel-to-gavel or not at all.
Personally I am not a fan of cameras in the courtroom mainly becuase people have a tendency to preform for them consciously or unconsciously, that being said I think the judge, defense and prosecutors should all wear robes, in the OJ trial it was a distraction when the press focused on what Marcia Clark was wearing.
Of course trials should be televised. Witnesses and juries can easily be protected with modern technology.
I seem to recall the jury wasn’t in the camera field during OJ’s trial. I don’t think tv needs to show or know anything about juries.
“The ratings will be yuge. The yugest of anything ever shown in the history of TV. I will singlehandedly resurrect broadcast media, which is dying. But I alone will save it.”
I’d reverse that and say that witnesses and juries are even more vulnerable due to modern technology.
I will probably just stick with re-runs of Perry Mason and Matlock.
“I would err on the side of transparency — but if massive violence occurs because of it, I would feel really guilty.”
There will not be massive violence. One or two MAGATs may act out, but there most definitely will not be a repeat of J6 at the court. All but the dimmest among them have gotten the message that TFG isn’t worth being tried and convicted of felonies.
Televising the trial isn’t what “could lead to violence.” Stirring up the conditions for stochastic dangerous loonies has already led to violence. Pied pipering the gullible and the resentful has already led to violence. Diehards will always believe the crazy over their own lying eyes. Plenty of non-diehards will benefit from seeing this, unseemly and white Bronco-y though it may be.
That’s because members of the press are largely made of of dimwitted C students who are just astounded that they have a job that doesn’t involve a spatula or a clean up on aisle 9.
Much of what TDIFFG stirs up is the anger of impotence. I live next door to a guy who has his TV tuned to Fox 24/7 and loud enough that I can hear it from my porch. He doesn’t have a really good reason to be angry - nice house, well paying job - but he’s at that age in life where he starts questioning his existence and comparing what he has to what he thinks he was promised.
And Fox tells him it’s because of all those others and he should be angry. It’s not his fault that he’s ordinary. It’s their fault. And he should buy GOLD! and PILLOWS! and NUTRIGENIX! And rage against an imaginary enemy.
It’s a lot easier to be angry then to do something constructive and Fox News is really selling impotence, not action.
I opt for televised, just no reporter commentary. C-Span worked during the epic GOP Chairman dance as well as the Jan 6 hearings. Don’t anyone buy the story “it can’t be done”.
Members of the press have to supply the details that their bosses think will generate money. As I was taught in my junior high school journalism class, freedom of the press is freedom for the guy who owns it. That’s why I chose to go in a different direction.
Well, his impulse control has always been minimal.
