As the impeachment hearings in the United States come to a close, the question of whether or not the proceedings will be televised has come to the forefront. U.S. President Donald Trump and many in the media have called for a televised trial in Washington DC, however, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has been hesitant to grant this request.
This is a highly contentious issue as it separates the political agendas of the President and the Department of Justice, with both sides presenting their own arguments. Supporters of a televised trial believe it will help the public to understand the impeachment inquiry and its outcomes in a better way. Media supporters see it as a way to “maximize public interest,” and make proceedings more transparent.
Trump and his administration have been largely against a televised trial as they believe it would enable a platform for partisan fear-mongering and false accusations. They believe that allowing cameras into the courtroom would politicize the proceedings in an unfavorable way.
On the other hand, the Department of Justice, in a statement released on December 17th of this year, made it clear that they have no intention of granting Trump’s request for a televised trial. According to the statement, they “will not consider granting any requests to televise the trial proceedings.”
The Democrats, while they are in support of the decision to not televise the proceedings, don’t believe it goes far enough in terms of transparency for the American people. They believe that it is unjust to keep the proceedings away from public view, and that televising a trial in Washington DC would allow for better public access and legislative oversight.
This is clearly a complex issue with both sides presenting compelling arguments for their points of view. A decision is unlikely to be reached anytime soon as both sides continue to debate the pros and cons of a televised trial. But whatever the outcome, it will ultimately be up to the Department of Justice to make the final decision.