Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) admitted that he went to the Manhattan courthouse where Donald Trump is on criminal trial to help the former president circumvent his gag order and urged other lawmakers to do the same.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records to pay hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election. Justice Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the trial has imposed a gag order barring Trump from attacking witnesses, court staff, jurors, and family members of the judge and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Trump violated the gag order multiple times and Merchan has threatened to put him behind bars “if necessary.” Trump’s attempts to remove the gag order have all failed with the latest defeat coming on Tuesday.
Tuberville and fellow Republican Sen. J.D. Vance (Ohio) attended the trial on Monday and railed against the proceedings in a way Trump is not allowed to do or risk violating the gag order.
Tuberville attacked the jury saying it is made up of “supposedly American citizens” who are causing the president “mental anguish.”
Vance meanwhile, attacked Merchan’s daughter and prosecutors: “The judge inside, his daughter is making millions of dollars running against Donald Trump, raising money for Trump’s political opponents.”
In an interview with Newsmax Tuesday, Tuberville admitted that one of his reasons for traveling to New York was to “overcome” the gag order.
“Hopefully we’ll have more and more senators and congressmen go up every day and represent him,” Tuberville said. “And be able to go out and overcome this gag order. That’s one of the reasons we went, to be able to speak our piece for President Trump.”
Some other Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), have also showed up outside the court to rail against the proceedings while speaking on topics the gag order prohibits Trump from doing.
“In bringing MAGA-loyal members of Congress to the New York courtroom, the Trump team have found an effective, if possibly short-term, means to subvert the gag order on the ex-president,” Mark Shanahan, associate professor in politics at the U.K.’s University of Surrey told Newsweek.
Trump surrogates “can make the kinds of attack on all aspects of the trial that the defendant can’t” unless they are “seen to be directed by Trump in the comments they make,” Shanahan added.
