Speaker Mike Johnson of Shreveport calls Trump hush money trial a sham on courthouse steps

Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Shreveport was on site Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York to defend the former president, calling the proceedings a "sham."

"This is the fifth week that President Trump has been in court for this sham of a trial," Johnson said outside the courthouse. "They are doing this intentionally to keep him here and keep him off of the campaign trail. And I think everybody in the country can see that for what it is.

"I am disgusted by what is happening here, what is being done here to our entire system of justice overall. The people are losing faith, right now, in this country, in our institutions. They're losing faith in our system of justice. And the reason for that is because they see it being abused as it is being done here in New York."

Trump has already secured the Republican nomination for president for his fall rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden.

The former president is accused of paying hush money to keep porn star Stormy Daniels quiet before the 2016 election about her claim of a sexual episode with Trump while he was married, which Trump has denied.

Johnson has long been a supporter of Trump and was part of the former president's inner circle during his second impeachment trial.

"The crime that they are accusing President Trump of is falsification of business records, but I think everybody knows he is not the bookkeeper for his company," Johnson said. "President Trump is innocent of these charges, and again, anyone with common sense can understand what is happening here. In the midst of all this nonsense and corruption, they have placed a ridiculous and unprecedented gag order on President Trump. They are overriding his constitutional right to defend himself from political smears from his harshest critics at the most important time."

"These are politically motivated trials, and they are a disgrace. It is election interference, and they show how desperate the opposition that President Trump has and how desperate they truly are."

More: Louisiana's Mike Johnson passed the Trump test on way to becoming speaker of the House

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1. 

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Here's what Speaker Mike Johnson said outside the courthouse at Trump trial