Outside the trial of former President Donald Trump, congressional Republicans and Trump surrogates launched a series of heated and provocative attacks against the judicial process, particularly targeting Judge Juan Merchan and his family, as well as key witnesses Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels.
Leading the charge, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and members of the Freedom Caucus vehemently criticized the trial, which is related to the Stormy Daniels hush money and election interference allegations. Despite Trump being under a gag order that restricts him from attacking witnesses or the families of Judge Merchan and the prosecution team, his supporters showed no restraint in their public statements.
During a press conference, Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) accused the Democratic Party of attempting to “rig or steal another election” by hindering Trump’s campaign and financial stability through the trial. He lambasted Michael Cohen, a former Trump lawyer and star witness, as a habitual liar, and described the trial as “lawfare” meant to undermine Trump’s re-election bid. Good also criticized Judge Merchan, claiming corruption due to his daughter’s political fundraising activities for the Democratic Party.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) echoed these sentiments, underscoring Cohen’s lack of credibility due to his previous admissions of lying for personal gain. Biggs further alleged that Judge Merchan’s daughter was exploiting the trial to raise significant funds for Democratic causes, framing the situation as a clear indicator of bias and corruption.
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) took the rhetoric even further by making a disparaging analogy, comparing the trial to a joke involving “a convicted felon and a hooker,” directly referring to Cohen and Daniels. Ogles framed the trial as a farcical persecution rather than a legitimate prosecution, accusing the justice system of having a double standard and asserting that if Trump could be targeted, so could any American citizen. He concluded by expressing unwavering support for Trump.
REP. BOB GOOD: Thank you, Congressman Gaetz. Thank you for your leadership on this.
We’re seeing today what lengths the Democrat Party will go to to try to rig or steal another election. They tried to do it in 2020, and they’re doing it again here in 24 by trying to keep the nominee off the ballot, by trying to keep the nominee campaigning, by trying to ruin the nominee financially. And we’re seeing that today. We saw the perjured in chief Michael Cohen here multiple times admit and knowledge that he has lied under oath. He’s perjured himself. And yet we’re supposed to believe his testimony as a star witness against President Trump. This is lawfare, again, to try to steal or to rig an election.
You got a corrupt prosecutor, you got a corrupt star witness, you got a corrupt judge whose daughter is one of the leading fundraisers for the Democrat Party, having raised $100 million. That’s the judge’s daughter!
This is a crooked sham trial. You’re trying to hurt the nominee who’s going to be the president of the United States, whether or not they like it or whether or not they want that to happen. President Trump is going to be reelected.
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REP. ANDY BIGGS: Mr. Cohen, Mr. Cohen admitted repeatedly that he lied. He repeated he admitted repeatedly that he did so for his own personal interest. That tells you everything you know about the lack of credibility in this case. And then you add to that, if you have a judge, you have a judge. His daughter is making literally a hundred thousand bucks at least, because she’s going around using this trial to raise money for Democrats. That is what’s happening. That is what is happening. And so I think that it’s pretty clear to us that this is a sham trial.
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REP. ANDY OGLES: You know, if I started a story with a convicted felon and a hooker walk into a bar, you would immediately know that it’s a joke.
Well, that’s what we have here. A joke of a trial. We have a convicted felon who has a vengeance against the president. We have a woman who has paid for sex with a vengeance against the president. This is not a prosecution. This is a persecution.
We have a two tiered justice system in this country. And if a former president can be targeted by a woke and corrupt judge, then you can be targeted as well. Mr. President, we’ve got your back.
