On Thursday, May 9 — with adult film star Stormy Daniels continuing to testify in Donald Trump's hush money/falsifying business records trial — Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida) showed up at a Lower Manhattan courthouse to voice his support for the former president.
Trump, in front of the courthouse, read a statement from the far-right senator, saying, "This should not be happening in our country.'"
Earlier in the day, Scott had appeared on Fox News and said of the trial, "If we don't stop this, they can go after you. Every American's at risk. I'm going to go support this president because this is wrong, what's happening to this guy."
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In defense of Trump, Scott attacked Justice Juan Merchan's daughter as a "political operative" — an attack that MSNBC host and former Republican National Committee (RNC) Michael Steele slammed as absurd.
Steele, on May 9, told his MSNBC colleagues Ana Cabrera and José Díaz-Balart, "Well, all the little ducklings are starting to follow behind Mother Duck. And, you know, I'm sure we're going to start to see a parade of folks fly into this case — fly up to New York to be a part of this narrative. I take note that Donald Trump just kind of walked by Rick Scott. I assume he knows who the senator is. With Trump, you never know."
The former RNC chairman and Never Trump conservative, noting the partial gag order that Merchan has imposed on Trump in the case, pointed out that Scott is able to "mouth the words that Donald Trump has been gagged from doing" — including attacking Merchan's daughter. And he noted that Judge Aileen Cannon has repeatedly delayed the trial in special counsel Jack Smith's Mar-a-Lago documents case against Trump.
Steele told Cabrera and Díaz-Balart, "You know, it's laughable to go after the judge's daughter, who contributed money to a campaign, to a Democratic campaign. So, that disqualifies that judge or somehow makes them biased? I give you (Judge) Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Donald Trump — who just delayed the trial for inexplicable reasons. Oh, I know, to help Donald Trump."
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Steele continued, "So, Rick Scott, are you going to address that? Is Aileen Cannon somehow a bad actor, a bad-faith actor in this? No, of course not. Because it's furthering Donald Trump's narrative. It's delaying one of the most important trials of this century. So, I think we need to put all of this in perspective and understand exactly what is happening here, and treat it the way we would any other scenario involving Donald Trump. And that is making sure the lies are rebuffed and refuted, and not leveling up his story line any more than we already have, because it just bakes in a narrative about him that undermines the case that he's involved in."
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Watch the full video below or at this link.