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A bevy of Republican allies are joining former President Trump in Manhattan court this week, including a handful of politicians floated as potential vice presidential contenders in Trump’s effort to re-win the White House this year.
Trump was flanked Tuesday ahead of court by House Speaker Mike Johnson, Florida Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills, as well as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former 2024 presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy.
Johnson held a press conference Tuesday morning outside the courthouse, where he railed against presiding Judge Juan Merchan and the prosecution team as politically-motivated against Trump.
“What we’ve got here is a partisan Democrat district attorney. We have a Biden donor judge, and we have an assistant D.A. who was recently a top official at the Department of Justice, Biden’s DOJ, and recently received over $10,000 in payments from the Democratic National Committee,” he said.
LIVE UPDATES: MICHAEL COHEN TESTIMONY TO CONTINUE AFTER EX-LAWYER REVEALS SECRET RECORDINGS OF TRUMP IN NY TRIAL
Rep. Byron Donalds, Gov. Doug Burgum, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Vivek Ramaswamy watch as former President Trump speaks to members of the media at Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (Curtis Means/Daily Mail/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The judicial system in our country has been weaponized against President Trump. The system is using all the tools at its disposal right now to punish one president and provide cover for another. And meanwhile, among the atrocities here, the judge’s own daughter is making millions of dollars doing online fundraising for Democrat,” he continued, citing Merchan’s daughter’s work as a political consultant.
On Monday, the former president was joined by Ohio Sen. JD Vance, New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, and his son Eric Trump. Eric Trump is also in court with his father again Tuesday, as is Trump attorney Alina Habba.
Politicians and lawmakers such as Vance, Donalds, Burgum and Ramaswamy have all been floated as potential picks for vice president on Trump’s ticket.
A Trump campaign official told Fox News Digital that the supporters all volunteered to join Trump in court to support their friend, and were not invited by the campaign.
Trump is back in court Tuesday for his 17th day of the trial, where the court is hearing testimony again from former Trump attorney Michael Cohen.
Monday was an action-packed day in court, hearing testimony for the first time from former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen. The case focuses on Cohen paying former pornographic actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 to allegedly quiet her claims of an alleged extramarital affair with the then-real estate tycoon in 2006. Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels.
Prosecutors allege that the Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen and fraudulently logged the payments as legal expenses. Prosecutors are working to prove that Trump falsified records with the intent to commit or conceal a second crime.
Courtroom sketch of Michael Cohen under questioning from prosecutor Susan Hoffinger during Trump’s criminal trial. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg )
Cohen testified to secretly recording Trump in September 2016 to share with publisher David Pecker proof that Trump planned to reimburse Pecker for purchasing the potentially damaging story, according to the testimony. Cohen added that in addition to easing Pecker’s mind that he would be repaid, he also made the recording in order to keep Pecker “loyal” to Trump.
TRUMP BLASTS ‘HIGHLY CONFLICTED’ JUDGE AFTER MICHAEL COHEN’S FIRST DAY OF TESTIMONY WRAPS
Michael Cohen and former President Trump (Getty Images)
He also detailed to the court that he spent his own funds to pay Daniels $130,000 in order to execute a non-disclosure agreement and obtain rights to her claims of the affair. In October 2016, according to Cohen’s testimony, he told Trump that Daniels must be paid in order to quiet her claims ahead of Election Day the following month. He testified that he spoke with Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg about how to fund the payment, with Weisselberg saying he was not in a position to initially foot the bill.
MICHAEL COHEN TESTIFIES HE SECRETLY RECORDED TRUMP IN LEAD-UP TO 2016 ELECTION
Trump speaks to the media on May 13. (Seth Wenig/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
TRUMP, DEFENDERS SHOW UP IN FORCE AHEAD OF COHEN TESTIMONY
Cohen said he did not discuss the matter with his wife, and decided to gather funds through a home equity line of credit instead of drawing the money from his personal account.
“The star witness here is Michael Cohen. I just listened to a few moments of his, testimony this morning, and it is consistent with what he’s already done. This is a man who is clearly on a mission for personal revenge, and who is widely known as a witness who has trouble with the truth. He is someone who has a history of perjury and is well known for it. No one should believe a word he says today. He lied to Congress. He lied to the IRS. He lied to federal election officials. Even Cohen’s own lawyer testified to a grand jury that he is not reliable. So there’s nothing that he presents here that should be given any weight at all by a jury, and certainly not this judge,” Speaker Johnson said in his remarks Monday outside the Manhattan courthouse.
