Mike Johnson Attends Trump’s Hush Money Trial, Slams Case

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) attended former President Donald Trump’s Manhattan trial on Tuesday to show his support for the embattled Republican presidential candidate.

Before his attendance, MSNBC and CNN reported that Johnson would be present at the courthouse on Tuesday, with his office confirming the news to Fox News.

Outside the courtroom, Johnson spoke to reporters and criticized the case against Trump, noting that “it is painfully obvious” that the GOP presumptive nominee is being unfairly targeted by Democrats in order to lessen his chances of success in the November election.

“This is the fifth week that President Trump has been in court for this sham of a trial. 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.”

According to the speaker, the hush-money case against Trump, in which he is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, is one of the reasons why Americans are “losing faith in our system of justice.”

“I’m an attorney. I’m a former litigator myself. 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,” he stated.

Johnson said the case is especially fishy given that the Justice Department has investigated Trump for alleged hush money payments in the past and chose not to press charges.

“Eight years later, suddenly they’ve resurrected this case. They brought it back. 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,” he continued.

Johnson’s show of support for Trump in court comes after Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) joined Trump at the courthouse on Monday days after Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) was at the court.

Vance also spoke to reporters outside the courthouse, revealing that “The thing that the president is prevented from saying, which is a disgrace, is that every single person involved in this prosecution is practically a Democratic political operative.”

Senator J.D. Vance: "Michael Cohen is the prosecution's star witness. This guy is a convicted felon…every single person involved in this prosecution is practically a Democratic political operative…What's going on inside that courtroom is a threat to American democracy…" pic.twitter.com/h3R1xzb5JM

— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) May 13, 2024