Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick among Texans who attended Trump trial in New York
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The latest Texas Republican leader to visit New York for former President Donald Trump's hush money trial is Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Patrick appeared Tuesday behind Trump and his attorney Todd Blanche ahead of them walking into the courtroom where the former president is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records. Trump's defense team rested its case Tuesday, and he opted not to testify.
The charges stem from a payment that Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election to keep her quiet about her alleged affair with Trump — all claims that he denies.
KXAN reached out Tuesday morning to Patrick's office for comment about why he wanted to travel to New York and go to the court proceedings. A spokesperson shared a tweet Patrick posted on X, where he claimed there is "no crime."
"The Biden Administration is trying to shut down President Trump because they know Biden can’t beat him in November. The entire country knows it," Patrick wrote on X.
During a news conference outside of the courthouse Tuesday, Patrick called for the indictment of Cohen and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office brought the case against Trump.
"We are here because we are friends of Donald Trump, the president of the United States. When a friend is in trouble, friends have his back," Patrick said to reporters. "The way he has been treated, you would see in Russia. You would see in China. You would see in North Korea. You would see in every little tin pot dictatorship across the world, and that's what we have here in New York in America."
Patrick's spokesperson told KXAN that the lieutenant governor did not use state funds for his travel or lodging in New York. The expenses instead were covered by Texans for Dan Patrick, according to his press secretary.
Three weeks ago, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also went to Trump's trial, which he called a "travesty of justice" in an X post announcing his trip. Trump recently said he would consider Paxton to become the next U.S. attorney general if he wins a second term in the White House.
The judge in the trial scheduled closing statements for next Tuesday, with jury deliberations set to begin afterward.
Photos showed Patrick was not the only Texan who went to the courthouse Tuesday. He could be seen standing next to two Republican lawmakers — U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls of Richmond and U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson of Amarillo.
During the news conference Tuesday, Jackson accused prosecutors of only bringing the charges to help Trump's opponents defeat him in the upcoming presidential election.
"They fear Donald Trump, and they fear what's going to happen if he becomes president again," Jackson said. "And I'll tell you they should fear because he started draining the swamp. He's gonna keep draining again, and all of these people are representative of the swamp."
According to recent social media posts, Patrick shared he is again serving as chair of the Trump campaign in Texas for the third time.