Vivek Ramaswamy steps up attack on Biden administration as he joins Trump supporters at ‘sham’ NY trial
Indian-American Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy on Tuesday joined former President Donald Trump in Manhattan court as other GOP leaders and potential VP contenders arrived in New York to attend his ongoing hush money criminal trial as it enters its fourth week.
Addressing the media ahead of the second day testimony of prosecution’s star witness Michael Cohen, Trump said: “Vivek Ramaswamy is here, the Speaker of the House is here. We have Byron Donalds. We have a lot of great people here.”(AP )
Trump is accused of making $130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep their alleged affair a secret ahead of the 2016 election.
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Besides Ramaswamy, a former Republican challenger and now a staunch supporter of Trump, US House Speaker Mike Johnson, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, United States Representative Byron Donalds, Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., ex-President’s son Eric Trump and Republican National Committee (RNC) co-Chair Lara Trump also arrived in the court in show of GOPs solidarity.
Burgum, Donalds and Ramaswamy are considered potential running mate choices for Trump.
Addressing the media ahead of the second day testimony of prosecution’s star witness Michael Cohen, Trump said: “Vivek Ramaswamy is here, the Speaker of the House is here. We have Byron Donalds. We have a lot of great people here.”
“The gag order has to come off— There’s never been anything like this in our country. It’s a scam,” he added.
He then read a statement from Jeanine Pirro, who brutally mocked Stormy Daniels on the show of Sean Hannity, calling the judge Juan Merchan “a fool” and “crooked”.
The ex-president went on to explain that his actions regarding the hush money payment were legitimate.
“I paid a lawyer a certain amount of money we marked it down as legal expenses. So I had a legal expense and I marked it down as a legal expense. I didn’t mark it down as a construction of a wall, construction of a building, I didn’t mark it down as electricity,” Trump said.
Claiming that “there’s no crime”, the Republican presumptive nominee for president stated: “I’ve been here for almost four weeks in an icebox, they call it the icebox, listening to a judge who is totally corrupt and conflicted.”
Also Read: Trump’s son Eric claims ex-president is more popular than rock icon Bruce Springsteen, netizens say ‘stop lying’
Vivek Ramaswamy blasts Biden administration over “sham trial”
Meanwhile, Ramaswamy took to X and chastised the Biden administration over the “sham trial” by referring to it as “a politically motivated assault on the leading candidate for US President, green lit by his political opponent, Joe Biden, and carried out at the highest levels of the White House and Department of Justice.”
He then slammed Matthew Colangelo, Biden’s former number #3 at the Department Justice, as he is now leading the prosecution effort for Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, who himself ran for office on the promise of going after Trump.
Calling it “an insult to American democracy”, he went on to say that “no one has a clue what the alleged crime even is.”
“The irony here is that the crime is supposedly about bad bookkeeping, but the real bookkeeping scandal is how to account for Judge Merchan’s own family members being paid millions of dollars by Democratic operatives.”
“His entire legal theory depends on the ludicrous idea that Trump should have used campaign funds for a personal payment, yet if Trump had done that, they’d be prosecuting him for it – which is the ultimate proof that this is a politicised persecution.”
Ramaswamy concluded his post saying, “The American people will deliver the ultimate verdict in November: say NO to the weaponization of justice.”
In another tweet, he said: “Great to see President Trump in good spirits this morning. Headed to NYC courtroom now. Let’s see what’s going on down there, will share my thoughts over the day.”
On Tuesday, Republican Sens. J.D. Vance and Tommy Tuberville, and Republican state attorneys general, Steve Marshall of Alabama and Brenna Bird of Iowa, and New York GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis were present in the court to extend support to Trump.
