A handful of Republican House members left Washington to support their GOP nominee, Donald Trump, amid his ongoing New York hush money trial Wednesday.
US Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) slammed his GOP colleagues during a House Judiciary Committee meeting, saying, "It's nice to see that some of my colleagues on the other side could make it today. I don't know if that means that there weren't enough seats in the courtroom in New York. I know some members will miss this vote because they want to be at the [former] president’s trial.
"I don't think that anything could animate the phrase 'do-nothing Congress' more than missing votes and cancelling hearings to go up and be a spectator at your cult leader's trial," he added. "That is the very definition of 'do-nothing Congress.'"
READ MORE: Dem unleashes on 'do-nothing' GOP colleagues who missed votes to attend 'cult leader’s trial'
Former US Rep. David Jolly (R-FL) — who's no longer a member of the Republican Party — spoke with MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace about the GOP lawmakers' antics.
"No one defended Trump's conduct," Wallace said, "and now they're defending the crimes he committed to cover up the conduct."
"Yeah, Nicolle. I think what's new to say is this: Look who's not there! The thousands of protesters that Donald Trump asked to come to his side," Jolly replied. "The millions of Americans that he says are outraged by this, Speaker Johnson, and the back bench members of Congress say that they are there representing. Nobody else really cares about this. They're not out there trying to defend Donald Trump. They're hoping the matter goes away, which then leads to this question, which you posed, about how emasculating it is for members of Congress to show up to this trial simply to bend a knee to the former president, and show loyalty, either out of some sort of patronage opportunity, or for the act of consideration for a spot on the ticket."
The former Sunshine State lawmaker continued, "Emasculating and humiliating, come up with whatever words you might. And then I think it gets down to the integrity of the institution of the Congress."
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Jolly added, "I know [Bulwark founder and analyst] Charlie Sykes talked about this as well, I think. We've seen the Speaker of the House go to an active trial, and now to see the members follow him there, and essentially try to interfere with the administration of justice, to tell the American people that the courts now are corrupt, to try to undermine the judiciary. To see the members of the House Republican Caucus do that is a grave threat. It is part of the insidiousness that leads to January 6th. To suggest that because law and order can't be trusted, we then have to take this in our own hands — they might be wearing blue suits and red ties, but each of one of them might as well be carrying the pitchforks and the bats that we saw on January 6th because they are challenging democracy in that courtroom just as much as protestors on January 6th were."
According to The Hill, "Reps. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Mike Waltz (Fla.) and Eli Crane (Ariz.) were spotted in the courtroom, while Reps. Andy Ogles (Tenn.) Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), Ralph Norman (S.C.) and House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good (Va.) were" among the lawmakers present at the Manhattan courthouse.
Watch the video below or at this link.
Republicans 'emasculating' themselves for Trump 'might as well be carrying pitch forks': ex-GOP rep youtu.be
