At least nine Republican lawmakers traveled to New York to appear in court alongside former President Trump on Thursday, the latest in a series of Republican lawmakers to appear in court for silence.
The move could jeopardize the Republican Party’s participation in a key vote later in the day and also comes after the House Oversight and Accountability Committee canceled a hearing scheduled to facilitate its appearance in court.
Reps. Matt Gaetz (Florida), Lauren Boebert (Colorado), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Mike Waltz (Florida) and Eli Crane (Ariz.) were seen in court, while Reps. Andy Ogles (Tenn.) Anna Paulina Luna (Florida), Ralph Norman (SC) and House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (Virginia) were also seen at the Manhattan courthouse.
Boebert and Gaetz were seen sitting in the front row of the gallery, alongside Eric Trump and the former president’s Secret Service agents. Good was also seen sitting in the front row, on the other side of Trump’s security detail.
Five additional lawmakers are seated in the second row, which is also reserved for Trump’s guests.
But there wasn’t enough room to accommodate the entire entourage, prompting Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn to ask some of the lawmakers to sit in the back of the room.
Many of the lawmakers chatted after entering the courtroom, especially during the multiple sidebars that kicked off Thursday’s proceedings.
And as the jurors entered the room, Boebert slowly turned his body to continue to face them as they walked across the room toward the jury box.
While they are a large group, the lawmakers are just the latest in a parade of GOP figures who have participated in the trial, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (La.).
The trip to New York comes on a day scheduled to be busy, especially for the House Oversight Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. Both had scheduled morning hearings for one of the Republican Party’s top priorities: holding Attorney General Merrick Garland accountable for contempt of Congress.
A source confirmed to The Hill on Wednesday that the last-minute change to the Oversight schedule was to allow lawmakers to travel to New York.
Moving toward Trump’s trial means Gaetz and Biggs will miss the Judiciary hearing on the matter, while Oversight members like Boebert and Luna could be back for the hearing that was moved to 8 p.m. EDT.
“Due to member scheduling conflicts, scheduling is now beginning at a different time to accommodate member schedules,” a House Oversight Committee spokesperson told The Hill on Wednesday.
Any late return could also complicate other issues for House Republicans. The chamber votes at 4 p.m. on a bill to reverse Biden’s restriction on certain weapons transfers to Israel. The White House said Biden would veto the bill.
Several Democrats have expressed some support for the measure, but Democratic leaders are now attacking it. As a result, large Republican absences could make it difficult for Republican leaders to get to the finish line.
Other GOP lawmakers — including Reps. Byron Donalds (Fla.), Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.) and Cory Mills (Flo.) and Sens. J.D. Vance (Ohio) and Tommy Tuberville (Ala.) — traveled to the Manhattan courthouse this week , as well as Republicans who were considered possible Trump running mates, including North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Updated at 10:42 a.m. EDT
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
