'Ridiculous': Senator Blasts Fellow Republicans For Attending Trump's Trial

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) didn’t seem amused by the parade of Republican officials who’ve joined former President Donald Trump at his criminal trial in New York in recent days.

“Do we have something to do around here other than watch a stupid porn trial? I mean, this is ridiculous,” Murkowski, a veteran of the powerful spending committee, told HuffPost on Tuesday when asked about the group of GOP officials who made the trip to downtown Manhattan this week.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), the highest-ranking Republican in the country, paid a visit to the courthouse on Tuesday to attack the prosecution. So, too, did North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a potential Trump 2024 running mate. On Monday, Trump was joined by Sens. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.).

Tuberville said he attended the trial “to help [Trump] with his gag order. He can’t talk, so we can go up there and talk for him.”

“Kind of depressing to be up there in a courtroom,” Tuberville added.

Trump is restricted in what he can say about witnesses and jurors in the case, but that hasn’t stopped the presumptive 2024 GOP nominee’s allies from echoing his attacks against New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan and his family.

More Republican senators could join Trump in the coming days, including potentially Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), another vice presidential contender, and freshman Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), who indicated he is interested in making an appearance.

“It’s a Soviet-style show trial,” Schmitt said Tuesday, claiming that the proceedings are the real “threat to American democracy” because Trump is a candidate for president.

Trump was indicted in New York for allegedly falsifying business records relating to payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. Last week, Daniels recounted her alleged 2006 tryst with Trump and how she was paid $130,000 to keep quiet about it.

Republicans have railed against the charges, even going so far as to dismiss the underlying facts of the case ― that it centers on payments made to a porn star.

“There’s nothing new under the sun,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said. “Why are we relitigating something the American people have already litigated?

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), meanwhile, poked fun at the entourage’s matching attire on Tuesday: Trump’s visitors wore dark navy suits with white shirts and red ties, an ensemble that Trump often wears himself.

“If I go to New York, I’ll make sure I wear a white shirt and a red tie,” Romney quipped on Tuesday.

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