First they amplified his false claims of election fraud, now a growing number of Republican leaders are supporting Donald Trump’s claims that the entire U.S. legal system is corrupt because he has been put on trial.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson — who makes prominent reference to being an evangelical Christian — was the latest Republican official to visit Trump’s hush-money payment trial at a Manhattan courtroom May 14. Trump is on trial for allegedly authorizing hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and falsifying records to keep the encounter out of the news during the 2016 presidential election.
Johnson held a news conference across the street from the trial.
Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard wrote: “It was a remarkable moment in modern American politics: The House speaker amplifying Trump’s defense and turning the 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 ‘corrupt.’”
A courtroom sketch artist portrays Donald Trump’s reaction as Michael Cohen testifies that he told Trump that the Stormy Daniels story was not contained, in Manhattan criminal court, Monday, May 13, 2024, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
Just as there is no evidence Trump actually won the 2020 presidential election as he falsely claims, no credible evidence has been put forward that Trump’s trial in New York — or any of his various other criminal indictments — are a “sham” as Johnson said.
Instead, witness after witness has taken the stand to document their knowledge of the hush-money payments and the reality of the affair with Daniels, who was a key witness.
Not since Watergate have there been such salacious accusations of criminal wrongdoing against a former or sitting American president.
Despite the porn star’s own detailed and graphic testimony, Johnson and other evangelical Republicans are standing by Trump, calling his accusers corrupt while refusing to assign any moral or criminal wrongdoing to their presidential candidate.
Like Trump, Johnson sought to undermine the credibility of another key witness, former Trump fixer Michael Cohen, who was the intermediary who allegedly did what Trump told him to do.
According to AP, Johnson “criticized Cohen as ‘a man who is clearly on a mission for personal revenge,’ said lead prosecutor Matthew Colangelo, ‘recently received over $10,000 in payments from the Democratic National Committee’ and said the daughter of Judge Juan M. Merchan has made ‘millions of dollars’ doing online fundraising for Democrats.”
While portraying Cohen — a convicted perjurer — as unreliable, neither Johnson nor any of his Republican collogues have acknowledged the recurring problems Trump himself has with the truth.
While portraying Cohen — a convicted perjurer — as unreliable, neither Johnson nor any of his Republican collogues have acknowledged the recurring problems Trump himself has with the truth.
The Washington Post has documented that Trump uttered 30,573 lies or misleading statements over the four years of his presidency. To this day, Trump insists he won the 2020 presidential election, despite no evidence for such a claim and reams of evidence to the contrary.
Johnson was a key player in Trump’s efforts to dispute the 2020 presidential results. Because of the party’s loyalty to Trump, Johnson’s position as speaker depends on Trump’s support.
Last week, before traveling to the New York trial, Johnson called the various legal cases against Trump a “borderline criminal conspiracy.”
In New York, he took a different tack: “It is election interference. And the American people are not going to let this stand.”
He added: “This ridiculous prosecution that is not about justice. It’s all about politics.”
Beyond Trump’s circle, Johnson’s vocal defense of Trump and critique of the justice system was mocked and derided by others.
Former Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney. “I’m surprised that @SpeakerJohnson wants to be in the ‘I cheated on my wife with a porn star’ club. I guess he’s not that concerned with teaching morality to our young people after all.”
Twitter user Scott Linnen: “Bearing false witness in defense of a serial adulterer criminal. Real ‘Christian’ stuff.”
New York Times columnists Michael Wilson and Katie Edmonson: “It was striking to watch the speaker of the House, second in line to the presidency in a crisis, stooping to overheated language more familiar at MAGA rallies, call a trial in an American court — and by extension, the judicial system itself — a ‘sham’ and political theater.”
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