House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) spoke on Tuesday outside the Manhattan courtroom where Donald Trump’s hush-money trial is taking place, saying “it is painfully obvious” that the presumptive Republican nominee is being unfairly targeted by Democrats ahead of the 2024 election.
Johnson joins multiple Republican lawmakers — including Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL), JD Vance (R-OH), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) — who have shown up at the courthouse in solidarity with Trump in recent days. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), North Dakota Republican Governor Doug Burgum, and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy were all in attendance at the courthouse on Tuesday.
“This is the fifth week that President Trump has been in court for this sham of a trial,” Johnson told reporters. “They are doing this intentionally to keep him here, to keep him off of the campaign trail. And I think everybody in the country can see that for what it is.”
SPEAKER JOHNSON: Just apply common sense. Everyone can see. It is painfully obvious. We are now *SIX MONTHS* out from Election Day.
That's the reason they brought these charges here and across the country. pic.twitter.com/4bAqgzNIYa
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) May 14, 2024
Manhattan Democratic District Attorney Alvin Bragg has charged Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in an alleged attempt to cover up hush-money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election cycle. The former president is forced to be in the Manhattan courtroom four days a week as he campaigns for president.
Trump has also been hit with 10 fines for violating a gag order imposed on him by Judge Juan Merchan. The order is meant to prevent Trump from talking about jurors, attorneys, court staff, and the judge’s family during the trial, and Merchan threatened to put Trump behind bars if he violates the gag order again.
During his remarks to the press on Tuesday morning, Johnson slammed the hush-money case against Trump, saying it’s an example of why the American people are “losing faith in our system of justice.”
“I’m an attorney. I’m a former litigator myself,” he said. “And I am disgusted by what is happening here, what is being done here to our entire system of justice overall. The people are losing faith right now in this country, in our institutions. They’re losing faith in our system of justice. The reason for that is they see it being abused as it is being done here in New York.”
Johnson pointed to the Justice Department previously investigating Trump’s alleged hush-money payments and choosing not to pursue any charges.
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“Eight years later, suddenly they’ve resurrected this case. They brought it back,” he added. “Why is that? Well, just apply common sense. Everyone can see. It is painfully obvious. We are now six months out from election day. That’s the reason why they brought these charges here and across the country.”