Dear John,

If you only heard certain media reports, you’d think the January 6 insurrection was just an orderly group of tourists checking out the sights in Washington, D.C.

But thanks to live television on the day and the live coverage of the House Select Committee hearings, the full facts of the riot are available in what is perhaps the most well-documented event of the Donald Trump presidency.

Now that Trump is facing trial for his actions to attempt to prevent the peaceful transition of power, leading up to and including the events of January 6, it is crucial that the trial not be shrouded in secrecy.

A federal rule generally prohibits the televising of federal court proceedings. However, in the interest of full transparency and public trust, Democrats in the House are calling on the Judicial Conference to allow television cameras in the courtroom in this exceptional event.

The cases of United States of America v. Donald J. Trump have unprecedented significance for the future of democracy in this country. Click here to sign the petition today supporting the House Democrats’ request to televise these proceedings, to build trust and confidence in the process and the outcomes.

The charges against Donald Trump include conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy to violate civil rights -- specifically, the right to vote and have one’s vote counted.

Every single American is a victim of the attempted coup and all of us should have a chance to see the trial that will attempt to hold the leader of that coup accountable.

Regardless of political party, the American people need and deserve to see the judicial process and the facts laid out for conviction with their own eyes.

The near certainty that a massive disinformation campaign by influential propaganda media outlets will severely misrepresent the actual content of the trial highlights the need for the American people to see the trial firsthand. The best way to accomplish this will be to put the trial on national television.

Let the witnesses speak under oath and be seen and heard across the nation. Let the defense and the prosecution make their best arguments before the judge and jury.

Public transparency is our best defense against corruption and disinformation. Sign the petition today to urge the Judicial Conference to permit the broadcasting of what may well be the most consequential trial in U.S. history now.

Whatever the outcome of each of the charges against Trump, in the end, huge masses of the electorate -- hundreds of millions of citizens -- will need to be able to assess the validity and fairness of the process.

Only full gavel-to-gavel access to the courtroom will enable the American people to see and hear the testimony we need to be able to check our expectations against the actual record.

Thank you for your efforts to ensure public trust and confidence in these judicial proceedings. Nothing less than the future of democracy is at stake.

Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action