'Clown show': Historian slams Trump for inviting 'surrogates' to violate gag order for him

Former President Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial in Manhattan has been increasingly marked by his Republican allies making trips into New York City to give speeches outside the courthouse, condemning everyone from the prosecutors to the judge to the judge's family — often attacking people who are off limits for Trump himself to attack due to the gag order in place against him. A few of them, like Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), have even admitted they are there to attack witnesses and court officers' families because Trump cannot.

This whole spectacle, which features the lawmakers and Trump allies decrying the trial as a "sham" and politically motivated, is an embarrassment for the Republican Party, historian Douglas Brinkley told MSNBC's Ari Melber on Thursday evening — a political theater moment with the participants vying for attention.

"I suppose the opening question, is the trial a sham, or is that effort by members of the government to undermine the government's rule of law a sham?" asked Melber.

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"What a clown show of Republicans coming in, defending Donald Trump on the hush money case," said Brinkley.

"Dozens of republicans are saying the same kind of words because Trump wants them, you have a gag order on me, well, you can have my surrogates, they're going to defend me," Brinkley continued. "Look at Matt Gaetz, neofascist Proud Boy rhetoric there. Look at Tuberville tumbling in from Alabama. The collective idiocy of the Republicans there to defend Donald Trump, it's embarrassing for them."

"The Republican Party has many good members, smart people in it, but anybody who thought to show up and kiss Trump's ring and grab a media moment, I think ... dented their reputation," he added.

Watch the video below or at the link right here.

Douglas Brinkley slams GOP "clown show" at Manhattan courthouse youtu.be