(14 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
New York – 14 May 2024
1. House speaker Mike Johnson approaches podium
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives:
"I called President Trump and told him I wanted to be here myself, to call out what is a travesty of justice. And I think everybody around the country can see that. President Trump is is a friend. And I wanted to be here to support him."
++BLACK FRAMES ++
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives:
"It’s painfully obvious that we’re now six months out from an election day. And that’s the reason. That is the reason why they brought these these charges here and across the country."
++BLACK FRAMES ++
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives:
"The star witness here is Michael Cohen. I just listened to a few moments of his, testimony this morning, and it is consistent with what he’s already done. This is a man who is clearly on a mission for personal revenge, and who is widely known as a witness who has trouble with the truth. He is someone who has a history of perjury and is well known for it."
++BLACK FRAMES ++
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives:
"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. President Trump is innocent of these charges."
++BLACK FRAMES ++
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives:
"It’s impossible for anybody to deny that looks at this objectively, that the judicial system in our country has been weaponized against President Trump."
++BLACK FRAMES ++
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives:
"Again, I came here again today 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. And so I’m glad to be here. Thank you."
8. Johnson exits
STORYLINE:
Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday became the highest-level Republican to attend court with Donald Trump for his hush money trial, a signal of the former president’s enduring grip on the GOP as the country heads toward an unprecedented general election.
The presence of the House leader at Trump’s felony trial served as a remarkable if not unprecedented moment in modern American politics.
The powerful House speaker — a constitutional officer — has signaled a turn of his political party against the U.S. system and rule of law by declaring a trial illegitimate.
Speaking to reporters in a nearby park, as Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen continued testifying, Johnson assailed Cohen as “a man who is clearly on a mission for personal revenge,” levying criticism that Trump is unable to do because of a gag order in the case.
Johnson has been using the powerful pulpit of the speaker’s office to attack and tear down the U.S. judicial system, criticizing the courts as biased against the former president, claiming the case is politically motivated by Democrats.
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