Speaker Mike Johnson's appearance at Trump's felony trial marks a remarkable moment in US politics
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson assailed the U.S. judicial system on Tuesday, becoming the highest-ranking Republican to attend court with Donald Trump and using his powerful position to attack the case against the former president as an illegitimate 바카라 게임 웹사이트sham.바카라 게임 웹사이트
It was a remarkable moment in modern American politics: The House speaker turning his Republican Party against the federal and state legal systems that are foundational to the U.S. government and a cornerstone of democracy.
Johnson, who is second in line for the presidency, called the court system 바카라 게임 웹사이트corrupt.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Outside the New York courthouse, he decried 바카라 게임 웹사이트this ridiculous prosecution that is not about justice.바카라 게임 웹사이트 He said, "It바카라 게임 웹사이트s all about politics."
The speaker is leading a growing list of Republican lawmakers who are criticizing the American judicial system as they rally to Trump바카라 게임 웹사이트s side, appearing at the courthouse to defend the party바카라 게임 웹사이트s presumptive presidential nominee. Trump is accused of having arranged secret payments to an adult film actress to hide negative stories during his successful 2016 campaign for president.
With Trump stuck in court and barred by a judge바카라 게임 웹사이트s gag order from criticizing witnesses or certain elements of the case, Johnson and the lawmakers are taking it upon themselves to attack the proceedings, now in a fourth week of witness testimony. They're using the trial as a de facto campaign stop as they work to return the former president to the White House.
In portraying the case against Trump as politically motivated, the Republicans are also laying the groundwork to dismiss its significance, should the jury convict, and for potential challenges to the fall election, a rematch with President Joe Biden, a Democrat.
Johnson was a chief architect of Trump바카라 게임 웹사이트s efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential results ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, mob assault on the U.S. Capitol, and last week he called the hush money trial and the other election-year cases against Trump a 바카라 게임 웹사이트borderline criminal conspiracy.바카라 게임 웹사이트
바카라 게임 웹사이트It is election interference,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Johnson said Tuesday, insisting he was appearing on his own to support a friend. 바카라 게임 웹사이트And the American people are not going to let this stand.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Also with him on Tuesday were U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum 바카라 게임 웹사이트 both considered possible vice presidential candidates 바카라 게임 웹사이트 as well as former GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, one of Trump바카라 게임 웹사이트s current top surrogates.
Video below: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum speaks outside Trump hush money trial
U.S. Sens. JD Vance of Ohio and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama were among those who attended court on Monday.
Trump바카라 게임 웹사이트s campaign has lined up allies in recent days to appear at the New York courthouse to attack witnesses and others whom Trump is barred by a judge바카라 게임 웹사이트s gag order from criticizing himself.
Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said Monday that he appeared last week at the invitation of Trump senior advisor Susie Wiles. The campaign has said others volunteered to come to New York.
바카라 게임 웹사이트The Democrats are using the court system to go after and prosecute, criminally, a political opponent 바카라 게임 웹사이트 that's a crime,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Scott said over the weekend on Fox 온라인 바카라 게임. 바카라 게임 웹사이트They바카라 게임 웹사이트re just thugs trying to stop Trump from being able to run for president.바카라 게임 웹사이트
In the short term, the Republicans' presence at the courthouse and comments critical of the process have let Trump and his allies amplify their message without risking another explicit violation of the gag order.
Johnson specifically attacked the credibility of Michael Cohen, Trump바카라 게임 웹사이트s former lawyer and fixer who began his second day of testimony in the former president바카라 게임 웹사이트s hush money trial. And others, too.
He criticized Cohen as 바카라 게임 웹사이트a man who is clearly on a mission for personal revenge," said lead prosecutor Matthew Colangelo 바카라 게임 웹사이트recently received over $10,000 in payments from the Democratic National Committee바카라 게임 웹사이트 and said the daughter of Judge Juan M. Merchan has made 바카라 게임 웹사이트millions of dollars" doing online fundraising for Democrats.
The Republican speaker, who is wholly dependent on support from Trump to keep the gavel, has aimed to strengthen their alliance, particularly as Johnson has come under fire from his own caucus in the House, including a failed effort at his removal by a fellow Trump backer, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
Johnson made an appearance with the former president at his Mar-a-Lago club last month to announce new House legislation to require proof of citizenship for voting, echoing Trump's baseless claims that Democrats are abetting immigrants entering the U.S. illegally to swing elections 바카라 게임 웹사이트 another potential route for Republican challenges to the 2024 election.
There isn바카라 게임 웹사이트t any indication that noncitizens vote in significant numbers in federal elections or that they will in the future.
And Johnson joined Trump on stage for the Republican National Committee's gala at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month, praising the presumptive presidential nominee and saying House Republicans fully expect to ride Trump's coattails to their own re-elections to keep the majority hold on the chamber.
Johnson has been using the pulpit of the speaker바카라 게임 웹사이트s office in Washington to attack the U.S. judicial system, criticizing the courts as biased against the former president, claiming the case is politically motivated by Democrats and insisting Trump has done nothing wrong.
The speaker has demurred when asked if the 2020 election was legitimate, and in a departure from the tradition of trust and adherence in U.S. election systems, Johnson and other Republicans have hedged when asked if they will accept the election results of 2024.