Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) criticized his fellow Republican lawmakers for showing up at Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial in New York this week.
“I think it’s a little demeaning to show up in front of the courthouse — and particularly one where we’re talking about an allegation of paying a porn star. And it’s really, really very difficult to watch,” Romney told CNN’s Manu Raju.
“There’s a level of dignity and decorum that you expect the people who are running for the highest station in the land, and going out and prostrating themselves in front of the public to try and, apparently, curry favor with the person who’s our nominee is embarrassing,” he added.
Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records to pay hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election.
On Monday, Sen Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) attended the trial to defend Trump and rail against the proceedings in a way the former president is not allowed to do or risk violating the gag order placed on him. The gag order bars Trump from attacking witnesses, court staff, jurors, and family members of the judge and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Tuberville admitted in an interview with Newsmax that his reason for going to trial was to help Trump circumvent the gag order and urged lawmakers to do the same.
Other Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) followed the senators’ example on Tuesday.
Romney isn’t the only Republican lawmaker to slam their colleagues for attending the trial.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) called the move “ridiculous.”
“Do we have something to do around here other than watch a stupid porn trial? I mean, this is ridiculous,” Murkowski said Tuesday, according to HuffPost.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) also slammed Republicans for attending the trial and singled out Johnson, a devout Christian who monitors his porn intake with his son.
“Have to admit I’m surprised that Speaker Johnson wants to be in the ‘I cheated on my wife with a porn star’ club,” Cheney wrote in a post on X/Twitter. “I guess he’s not that concerned with teaching morality to our young people after all.”
