He's been spared the 'perp walk' through the street to the courtroom because he's in custody. It is not the case that every US court has cameras or TV inside for every hearing; this hearing was only procedural, not a trial.
Either you believe eye-witnesses or you don't. Maybe they are not eye-witnesses but people describing events they didn't see. It'll get a bit embarrassing when the court has to go through the charade of trying someone who isn't actually there, when cameras and TV would be expected, but no doubt someone will think of something, and no US politician will ask questions.