US House Speaker criticizes Trump trial proceedings as ‘politically motivated’
House Speaker Mike Johnson criticizes the justice system’s weaponization against former President Donald Trump, stating that it has been selectively targeting him while providing cover for President Joe Biden
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson made a bold statement on Tuesday, injecting further political tension into former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial.
Johnson, accompanied by fellow Republican lawmakers, including a potential Trump vice presidential pick, took a visible stance behind Trump at the New York court, denouncing what he perceives as the weaponization of the justice system against the ex-president.
Asserting Trump’s innocence in the charges of falsifying business documents to conceal hush money paid to a porn star during the 2016 campaign, Johnson criticized the judiciary for its alleged bias.
“It’s impossible for anybody to deny, that looks at this objectively, that the judicial system in our country has been weaponized against President Trump,” Johnson stated emphatically. He further accused the system of selectively targeting Trump while providing cover for President Joe Biden, ahead of the November election.
In a rare display of legislative involvement in a judicial proceeding, Johnson’s presence underscored the escalating polarization in American politics. Standing behind Trump as he addressed reporters before entering the trial, Johnson condemned what he termed a “travesty of justice.”
Johnson’s critique extended to the prosecution’s star witness, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, whom he labeled as a liar driven by personal vendetta, despite Cohen’s testimony on Tuesday. The presence of a congressional leader at the court’s threshold, aligning visibly with the defendant, marked a departure from the traditional separation of powers enshrined in the US Constitution.
Meanwhile, Trump acknowledged the support of Johnson and other allies, including House Republican Byron Donalds, who rallied behind him. “I do have a lot of surrogates, and they are speaking very beautifully,” Trump remarked, underscoring the partisan divide surrounding the trial.
Responding to the Republican display of support for Trump, House Democrat Bill Pascrell characterized the scene as Republicans “flocking like groupies to stand behind their boss Donald Trump,” highlighting the stark partisan divisions overshadowing the trial proceedings.
Source: AFP
