Democrats need to counter Trump’s courthouse press campaign

There’s a moment in the hit television series “Game of Thrones” when the evil King Joffrey demands that Ned Stark, head of the House of Stark, declare fealty to him. Stark debases himself with a false confession in hope of staying alive. Joffrey then orders his head cut off anyway.

A similar debasement is happening not in a far-off fantasy world, but outside 100 Centre St. in New York City, where former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial is ongoing.

Though Trump remains under a gag order, a clown car of Republican allies in Congress and top state officials are helping him get around it. They’ve appeared on the courthouse steps to smear Judge Juan Merchan and his family, amplify Trump’s grievances and undermine the legitimacy of our legal system.

Trump’s defenders have included the likes of Republican Sens. JD Vance of Ohio and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Republican Reps. Nicole Malliotakis of New York, Byron Donalds of Florida and Cory Mills of Florida. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Attorneys General Brenna Bird of Iowa and Steve Marshall of Alabama have joined the fray, as well.

But most astonishing was the presence of Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana on Tuesday. The speaker called the proceedings a “travesty of justice” and worked overtime to discredit former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, whom he described as the “star witness.”

That’s right. A top leader of the least productive Congress in nearly a century showed up 200 miles from Washington to say before the world that the American system of justice has no credibility.

This is not politics as usual. It’s not simply using a courthouse as another campaign stop. It is the top leader of the House of Representatives — second in line to the presidency — bending the knee to one man in order to forsake the rule of law and the principle that no one is above it.

Johnson’s efforts are also aimed at once again undermining faith in federal elections. As a member of the House, he helped lead the charge for Trump’s 2020 election denialism, which culminated in an insurrection that put the lives of his colleagues and staff members at risk.

Now, as speaker, Johnson is rolling out the orange carpet for Trump to claim the election was rigged if he loses in November. He falsely claimed the charges were part of a scheme to influence November’s election. The irony is that prosecutors are arguing that Trump falsified business records to buy the silence of a porn star to conceal a damaging story from the public ahead of the 2016 election — a scheme they charge was interference in the 2016 election.

The willingness of top Republicans around the country to parrot Trump’s talking points is egregious but sadly not surprising.

And as I’ve said before, when they go low, it’s time to go toe-to-toe.

While President Joe Biden and his administration have rightly chosen to stay above the fray, that doesn’t mean other prominent Democrats should cede the sidewalk outside the courthouse to Trump and his ilk. 

Covering the first criminal trial of a former president is the top story for almost every outlet and network. So Democrats — whether state officials or party leaders — need to meet the fight where the cameras are: the steps of Manhattan criminal court.

They would not only be drawing a contrast between Trump and President Biden, but also defending the sanctity of our justice system and the idea that no one, not even a former president, is above the law.

Trump’s indictments are historic and should be covered vigorously by the media. But minuscule details of the trial threaten to obscure developments out of the executive branch that affect the lives of millions of Americans. 

In recent days, Biden officially endorsed a proposal to reclassify marijuana from the Schedule I category, a long-needed update to our nation’s needlessly punitive drug policies. The administration released an updated map showing more than 56,000 infrastructure projects underway as a result of its “Investing in America” agenda. It raised tariffs on China, announced a new slate of nominees to fill key roles in the administration and moved forward with $1 billion in aid for Israel. 

Is it wise to let the criminal trial of one man obscure policy developments that impact millions of people here in the U.S. and around the globe?

In “Game of Thrones,” it was Ned Stark who lost his head after bending the knee. But in this reality, our entire system of government and its credibility are on the chopping block. 

For more thought-provoking insights from Symone Sanders-Townsend, Alicia Menendez and Michael Steele, watch “The Weekend” every Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m. ET on MSNBC.