House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) Joined Former President donald trump at his criminal trial in New York on Tuesday, becoming the highest-ranking Republican official in the country to support Trump and echo his attacks on the US judicial system.
Johnson is the latest Republican Party official to visit court, accused of falsifying business records to hide secret payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. Governor of North Dakota. Doug Burgumwho has been mentioned as a possible Trump running mate in 2024, Rep. Byron Donalds (Florida) and Rep. Cory Mills (Florida) also joined Trump in court on Tuesday.
Sen. J.D. Vance (Ohio), another potential vice presidential candidate, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (Ala.) and Sen. Rick Scott (Florida) have made previous appearances at the trial in support of Trump.
Speaking outside the courtroom on Tuesday, Johnson said Trump was innocent and said the charges against him were “not about justice, they’re about politics.” He did not answer questions and did not address the fact that the case revolves around payments made to a porn star.
Last week, during the trial, Daniels retold in detail his alleged meeting with Trump in 2006 and the $130,000 settlement for his silence that was sealed during the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), a fierce Trump critic and former colleague of the House speaker, chided him for attending Tuesday’s trial.
“I have to admit I’m surprised that @SpeakerJohnson wants to be in the ‘I cheated on my wife with a porn star’ club. Guess he’s not that concerned about teaching our young people morality after all,” Cheney wrote in a post on X, formerly called Twitter.
Johnson, a devout evangelical Christian, speaks often about his faith and the role it plays in his life.
“I am a Bible-believing Christian,” he said last year. “Someone asked me today in the media and said, ‘It’s curious. People are curious. What does Mike Johnson think about any topic out there? I said, ‘Well, get a Bible off your bookshelf and read it. That’s my worldview. That’s what I believe.’”
Johnson even addressed his disdain for pornography — and spoke proudly about how he and his son monitor each other’s porn intake.
The House speaker’s office said his trip to New York City was not paid for with taxpayer money. His trips to and from the city were financed by campaign funds, as he was in the city for political events. Johnson’s trip to the courthouse for Trump’s trial came in the middle of this.
