Republicans are ditching their day jobs to do Trump's dirty work

It’s official: Visiting Donald Trump at his criminal trial in New York is the thing to do in the Republican Party.

Last week, it was his fellow Floridian Sen. Rick Scott who made the pilgrimage. Then Sens. J.D. Vance and Tommy Tuberville. And Rep. Nicole Malliotakis. Then House Speaker Mike Johnson showed up.

And now, well, maybe it would be easier to name the Republicans who aren’t planning to literally stand by their man. According to Politico, a whole mess of House Republicans—approximately 16 members of the Freedom Caucus—are planning a trip to the Big Apple, though most of them don’t want to talk about it.

“You won’t find anybody who will say anything,” South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman said. Maybe they don’t want to talk about it, but CNN’s Annie Grayer reports that the House Oversight Committee is delaying its Thursday hearing about holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt so its members can attend the trial in New York.

So why is it so important for them to journey north to sit in the courtroom—the very cold courtroom, according to Trump—when they ostensibly have day jobs to do?