Opinion: Bootlicking Trial Crashers Prove This Is All a Joke to Trump
The theme of Donald Trump’s defense in his New York criminal trial is that he wanted to kill the stories of his alleged sexual liaisons with Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels to protect his family and his “brand”—and it had nothing to do with politics.
However, that defense is undercut by Trump’s rotating entourage of politicians making a spectacle at his trial. It’s not about family or his brand, it’s about how this case is impacting his campaign for president—just like it was in 2016 when the “catch-and-kill” scheme to bury embarrassing stories was implemented.
Since the trial began, Trump has typically had a small group of Republican elected officials accompany him to court, where they follow a similar script.