The Facts
US House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday became the latest prominent member of the GOP to appear at the Manhattan courthouse where the criminal trial of former Pres. Donald Trump has been taking place for a couple weeks.
In comments made to the press outside the courthouse, Johnson criticized the gag order that's been put on Trump, and described the case as a "yearslong partisan witch hunt" meant to keep the presumptive Republican presidential nominee from "the campaign trail."
The Spin
Republicans in Congress seemingly consider themselves to be Trump's unofficial law firm, so it's no surprise Johnson would journey to New York to kiss up to the presumptive nominee and the MAGA crowd. Johnson has proven his devout religious faith is no match for his desperate loyalty to Trump, who helped Johnson fend off a challenge to his speakership earlier this month.
It's crucial for Trump's surrogates to speak out about this politically motivated prosecution by the Democrats while Trump is limited by the partisan judge's gag order. Everyone involved in this shame trial is a Democrat and it's obvious they're trying to keep Trump from campaigning and returning to the White House.
When it comes to Johnson, talk is cheap. He may say he's opposed to this politically motivated trial and the other Democratic lawfare cases against Trump, but the Speaker has said he won't take the steps necessary to defund the federal cases against the former president. Johnson's support of Trump and the MAGA movement doesn't seem genuine.
