House Speaker Mike Johnson made a surprise appearance Tuesday at former President Trump‘s trial in Manhattan, where he told reporters all the cases brought against Mr. Trump amount to election interference and Congress has a constitutional responsibility to investigate the prosecutors and “hold them accountable.”
Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, is the highest elected official in a string of senators and congressmen to attend the weekslong trial.
“I came here on my own to support President Trump because I am one of hundreds of millions of people and one citizen who is deeply concerned about this,” Mr. Johnson said.
Former presidential candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum attended Tuesday along with Rep. Byron Donalds, a Florida Republican and outspoken Trump ally. They sat in the front row, directly behind Mr. Trump.
Mr. Johnson told reporters he came to the trial because Congress has an oversight responsibility. He pointed to the recent revelation that evidence “might have been tampered with,” in the classified documents criminal case Mr. Trump is facing separately under special counsel Jack Smith.
“And it is our objective and our responsibility to hold them accountable,” he said, “These are politically motivated trials and they are a disgrace. It’s election interference.”
Mr. Johnson has relied on Mr. Trump in recent weeks to help tamp down a coup by a handful of hardline conservatives in the House Republican Conference.
The speaker told reporters outside the courthouse that Congress “will continue to shine a light,” on what he believes are politically motivated trials.
Mr. Trump is on trial in New York on charges of bookkeeping fraud to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. He faces election interference charges both in Georgia and by Mr. Smith has also charged Mr. Trump separately for hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home.