Trump's court appearances should be nationally televised, Adam Schiff says

• A campaign to televise former President Donald Trump's federal criminal trials is underway in Washington, led by California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, Calif.
• "If the public is to fully accept the outcome, it will be vitally important for it to witness" the proceedings, wrote Schiff and 37 House Democrats in a letter to the court's administrator.
• The letter was released hours after Trump pleaded not guilty to four charges related to his effort to overturn the 2020 election results.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) delivers remarks during the fourth hearing by the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol in the Cannon House Office Building on June 21, 2022 in Washington, DC.

Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images

WASHINGTON — A campaign to televise former President Donald Trump's federal criminal trials was launched late Thursday by congressional Democrats, led by California Rep. Adam Schiff.

"Given the historic nature of the charges brought forth in these cases, it is hard to imagine a more powerful circumstance for televised proceedings," wrote Schiff and 37 members of his caucus in a letter to Judge Roslynn Mauskopf, who leads the administrative office of U.S. Cours.

"If the public is to fully accept the outcome, it will be vitally important for it to witness, as directly as possible, how the trials are conducted, the strength of the evidence adduced and the credibility of witnesses," the lawmakers wrote.

The letter was released within hours of Trump's arraignment in Washington, D.C., where the former president pleaded not guilty to four charges related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Thursday's court proceedings marked the third time this year that the former president has been hit with criminal charges, but his first time before a judge in the nation's capital. Trump has pleaded not guilty in the two other criminal cases.