CNN
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A number of of Donald Trump’s allies are flocking to the Manhattan criminal courthouse the place Trump is on trial to show their help for the previous president as explosive testimony unfolds about his alleged sexual encounter with an grownup movie actress and the hush cash fee made to maintain it below wraps earlier than the 2016 election.
On Tuesday, Home Speaker Mike Johnson, who has more and more aligned himself with the previous president amid blowback he’s obtained from the far proper, will turn into the best rating Republican and newest Trump ally to make the journey, per a GOP supply.
The politicians coming to Trump’s protection are attacking the individuals Trump is barred from publicly talking about below his gag order, together with the prosecution’s star witness Michael Cohen, whose testimony started Monday. Their presence on the courthouse additionally permits them to indicate their loyalty — a trait extremely valued and rewarded by the previous president — and provides them a high-profile platform to angle for a possible administration place ought to Trump win one other time period.
Additionally on Tuesday, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who’s into consideration to be Trump’s potential working mate, will be part of the previous president in court docket, in line with a Trump marketing campaign official, in addition to Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, Florida Rep. Cory Mills and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Their court docket visits come after Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, one other potential vice presidential decide, and Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville joined Trump within the courtroom on Monday.
Each Vance and Tuberville spoke to reporters exterior of the courthouse and attacked Cohen, attempting to undermine his credibility throughout his first day of testimony.
“Does any cheap, smart particular person consider something that Michael Cohen says?” Vance informed reporters exterior of the legal courthouse moments earlier than Tuberville panned Cohen’s testimony as “an performing scene” and mentioned he was a “serial liar.”
Along with Vance and Tuberville, New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, Alabama Lawyer Normal Steve Marshall and Iowa Lawyer Normal Brenna Fowl additionally appeared in court docket with Trump on Monday and spoke to reporters exterior the courthouse. Florida Sen. Rick Scott joined Trump in court docket final week, and Texas Lawyer Normal Ken Paxton made the journey the week earlier than. Eric Trump has appeared together with his father on the trial, and several other of the previous president’s high advisers often accompany him to court docket.
Within the weeks forward, extra of Trump’s allies are anticipated to affix Trump in court docket, in line with a Trump marketing campaign official. The official mentioned “quite a lot of” his mates and supporters have reached out to him and the marketing campaign to ask if they might come to the courthouse.
“It’s going to proceed, and it’s only a demonstration of how offended so a lot of our mates are by what’s taking place to the president,” the official informed CNN.
One particular person accustomed to the marketing campaign argued there have been no political downsides for the politicians making the journey to the courthouse to rail towards the case towards Trump, and that it could give them coveted airtime amid the extremely publicized trial.
“If there was a secure trial to indicate as much as, that is the one,” this particular person mentioned. Trump is a defendant in three different legal circumstances and faces fees over his alleged mishandling of labeled materials and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election outcomes. Trump has pleaded not responsible to all 88 fees towards him.
Mark Serrano, who was a senior adviser to Trump’s 2020 presidential marketing campaign, mentioned in an interview with CNN he thought the gag order Trump is below was one of many predominant causes Trump’s allies felt compelled to indicate up on the trial.
“Choose Merchan has taken Donald Trump’s voice away to a level. He has stripped him of his first modification rights and other people like J.D. Vance and Tommy Tuberville and others are going to come back to New York they usually’re going to lend their voice to Donald Trump,” Serrano mentioned.
Trump has been fined a complete of $10,000 for violating the gag order that bars him from publicly discussing witnesses. The violations included feedback he made about Cohen, who’s a key witness for the prosecution as they make the case Trump illegally falsified enterprise data after paying off grownup movie actress Stormy Daniels as a part of an alleged election interference scheme in 2016. Trump has pleaded not responsible to the 34 felony legal fees of falsifying enterprise data within the New York case.
CNN’s Manu Raju and Kristen Holmes contributed to this story.