Here's who paid for Iowa AG Brenna Bird's trip to NYC for Donald Trump's hush money trial

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird's trip to New York City on Monday to attend Donald Trump's trial was at the invitation of the Republican Attorneys General Association.

A spokesperson for Bird's campaign told the Des Moines Register that the group invited attorneys general, including Bird, "to go to Manhattan and show support for President Trump." The group also covered the trip's expenses.

On Monday, Bird was seen entering the courthouse behind Trump along with a gaggle of his supporters. Her office confirmed she attended, and a spokesperson said no taxpayer money had been used to fund her travel.

Bird repeated that sentiment Tuesday at a press conference in Ankeny, where she announced a lawsuit against California-based electric truck requirements. She did not give details on how the trip was funded or if she was invited — details later provided by a spokesperson.

"No taxpayer funds were used, and I went to New York to show my support for President Trump and to witness what was going on there, in that courtroom in Manhattan," Bird told reporters.

In a news conference outside the courthouse Monday, Bird said she traveled from Iowa to represent the state's support for the former president as he stands trial in a hush money case.

"We need him back as our president leading our country again," Bird said. "My background is as a prosecutor, and what I saw in that courtroom today is a travesty. Politics has no place in a court of law.

"They try to charge him with all these ridiculous things that include a star witness who is a perjurer, disbarred, convicted of lying," Bird added. "It tells us the state we are in this country right now."

The chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, Rita Hart, criticized the appearance, saying "Iowans deserve an attorney general that's focused on serving her constituents — not her political ambitions."

In his January victory speech for the Iowa caucuses, Trump said of Bird, "she's going to be your governor someday."

The Republican Attorneys General Association has been embroiled in political controversy in the past.

Before the Jan. 6, 2020, insurrection in Washington, D.C., the Rule of Law Defense Fund, a fundraising arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, sent a robocall inviting people to march to the U.S. Capitol.

The robocall said: "The march to save America is tomorrow in Washington, D.C. … At (1 p.m.) we will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal. We are hoping patriots like you will join us to continue the fight to protect the integrity of our election."

Brianne Pfannenstiel contributed reporting.

Galen Bacharier covers the Statehouse & politics for the Register. Reach him at gbacharier@registermedia.com or (573) 219-7440, and follow him on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa attorney general's trip to Trump trial paid for by GOP AG group