Florida Rep. Byron Donalds on Tuesday ripped the New York City trial of former President Donald Trump, blasting the proceeding as a “travesty” and a “farce.”
The Naples Republican was part of a cadre of GOP lawmakers who rallied in the Big Apple to support Trump, who is being prosecuted by left-wing Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Bragg seeks to stitch a story about Trump paying off porn star Stormy Daniels into a conspiracy to thwart the 2016 election, by allegedly disguising the $130,000 hush payments as legal costs.
Many legal experts say Bragg’s case is falling apart, with the trial now in its fifth week, because he has yet to show jurors the smoking gun of Trump’s guilt.
“Ladies and gentlemen of America, this trial is a joke. This thing is a farce,” Donalds said on Tuesday as spoke briefly to reporters outside the courthouse.
Donalds noted that he was in the courtroom as supposed star witness Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, admitted that he sent invoices for legal expenses to the Trump Organization and was paid — as the defense argues.
Related: 16 Days In And No Crime Revealed In New York Trump Trial, Politicians And Media React
“Where’s the crime?” Donalds continued. “There is no crime. The only crime that’s happening here is this Democrat judge and the Democrat Party are prosecuting their political rival right in the middle of a presidential election.”
“The crime here is that the issues facing our nation are not being addressed by the Democrats, but they want to go after Donald Trump, and there’s nothing that has been wrong here. … The only thing that’s being done wrong is by this judge,” Donalds said.
Donalds noted that the judge’s daughter, a Democratic political operative, is using the trial as a fundraising tool.
Read: Florida Reps Byron Donalds And Anna Paulina Luna Face Off With Protesters At GWU
“This is a travesty of justice,” the congressman said. “This is a misuse of the justice system.”
He also called Bragg a George “Soros-backed DA” who is “going after his chief political rival” while “real” crimes in New York go unprosecuted.
“America is better than this,” added DOnalds, who called on voter to make their opinions of the case known by electing Trump in November.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. This is a joke. It is a farce. It is a travesty. We are better than this as Americans. And unfortunately, the Democrat Party has lost their ever-loving minds, and so it’s going to take the American people to remind them that justice is supposed to be blind. It is not supposed to be going after [political opponents and political rivals,” said Donalds.
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