Even before anyone was arrested in the Sept. 10 killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, politicians went on television claiming to know the shooter’s motive — and the punishment he deserved.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called it a “political assassination” during a broadcast shortly after Kirk’s death and wanted to “remind people we still have the death penalty here in the state of Utah.” That same day, President Donald Trump deemed the killing “radical left political violence” and called the shooter a “monster” who attacked the entire country.

Defense attorneys for Tyler Robinson — who was arrested and charged with aggravated murder and other crimes days after Kirk’s death — have argued that these types of statements from politicians in the wake of the shooting have amounted to “prejudicial publicity” that is so extreme they are asking 4th District Court Judge Tony Graf to cut off cameras from Robinson’s court hearings to ensure he can receive a fair trial.

They argue that it will be challenging to find impartial jurors if the intense “content tornado” media coverage continues. They point not only to politicians’ statements in their arguments, but some news stories which they say have hyper-focused on Robinson’s in-court demeanor that feature “phony” lip readers or body language analysts, as well as AI-manipulated images of courtroom scenes which have incorrectly claimed there has been “court chaos” or “shocking” developments.

Robinson’s attorneys also argue that television camera operators have already violated Graf’s strict orders to journalists when, in an earlier hearing, they had Robinson’s shackles in view in a livestream and captured conversations between the defendant and his lawyers.

[Read more: Questioning key evidence, defense team for Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer asks for delay]

The defense team’s motion was originally filed under seal, but it was released late Monday after lawyers for The Salt Lake Tribune and other media outlets opposed the filing being kept secret and Graf agreed. Prosecutors also asked the judge to make the filing public, and have asked for cameras to remain in the courtroom. Attorneys are expected to argue the issue during an April 17 court hearing, and Graf will make a ruling on a later date.

Utah County prosecutors acknowledged in their response to the defense’s motion that Robinson’s case has received intense public interest — including in some distorted online information — but they argued that more transparency can help with public confidence, accuracy and trust in the criminal justice system.

Robinson’s attorneys also argue in the motion that the governor’s office further prejudiced the criminal case when it released a booking photo of Robinson — which are typically considered private under Utah law. Cox’s office disseminated the image Sept. 12, the morning the 22-year-old was first booked into Utah County jail. Its release came after a news conference in which Cox and FBI Director Kash Patel, along with other law enforcement leaders, announced Robinson’s arrest.

Cox’s office told KSL in September that even if a booking photo is considered a “protected” record under the state’s open record laws, a government agency can release the photo if it determines “there is no interest in restricting access to the record,” or if “the interests favoring access are greater than or equal to the interest favoring restriction of access.”

Robinson’s defense team called this “shaky rationale” in their motion, and said the decision was in violation of state law. They argued that releasing the mug shot further contributed to prejudicial pretrial publicity, because these types of photos convey guilt and criminality to potential jurors — even though he has not been convicted of a crime.

The attorneys also argued that media reports and politicians have been “unusually fixated” on Robinson’s romantic relationship with his roommate, who has transitioned from male to female. Cox commented on the roommate and her transition in interviews after the shooting, as did Vice President J.D. Vance during a December Turning Point USA event in December.

In charging documents, prosecutors say that Robinson confessed to killing Kirk to his roommate.

Robinson is facing multiple charges, including aggravated murder, in connection with Kirk’s Sept. 10 death. Prosecutors have indicated they will seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.