Speaker Mike Johnson's appearance at Trump's felony trial marks a remarkable moment in US politics

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson assailed the U.S. judicial system on Tuesday as he became the highest-ranking Republican to attend court with Donald Trump, echoing unsubstantiated or disproven arguments made by the former president and his allies.

It was a remarkable moment in modern American politics. The powerful House speaker signaled a turn of his political party against the federal and state legal systems and demonstrated further loyalty toward Trump, who is accused of having arranged secret payments to a porn actress to hide negative stories during his successful 2016 campaign for president.

Johnson, a lawyer who is second in line for the presidency, called the court system “corrupt” and the case against Trump a “sham," while alleging without proof that the special counsel who's charged Trump in two separate cases has doctored evidence. He also attacked the credibility of Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and fixer who began his second day of testimony in the former president's hush money trial.

Trump's campaign has lined up allies in recent days to appear at the New York courthouse to attack witnesses and others whom Trump is barred by a judge's gag order from criticizing himself.