J.D. Vance, in the Mix to Be Trump's Running Mate, Denounces Witness – The New York Times
Trump Hush-Money Trial
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Mr. Vance’s appearance in court could signal a new frontier in the auditions to become Donald J. Trump’s running mate. He and other Trump allies went after Michael D. Cohen.
Michael C. Bender, Nate Schweber and
Reporting from Washington
Senator J.D. Vance, an Ohio Republican, joined Donald J. Trump’s entourage in court on Monday as the prosecution’s star witness, Michael D. Cohen, the former president’s fixer-turned-nemesis, took the stand.
Mr. Vance and other supporters of Mr. Trump attacked Mr. Cohen and other participants in the trial in social media posts and a news conference. The judge overseeing the case has barred Mr. Trump from launching such broadsides.
“Every single person involved in this prosecution is practically a Democratic political operative,” Mr. Vance told reporters in Collect Pond Park, outside the courthouse. He added that it was a “disgrace” that Mr. Trump could not say so himself. Mr. Trump is barred from attacking a number of people involved in the case, including witnesses and prosecutors, other than the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg.
Mr. Vance’s presence could signal a new frontier for Mr. Trump’s testing of potential running mates. The former president has been encouraging vice-presidential contenders, including Mr. Vance, to grant interviews to cable networks to measure their performance, as well as inviting them to join him on the campaign trail and to attend fund-raisers.
Mr. Vance, who had been aggressively critical of Mr. Trump before running for office, has worked to repair that relationship, and is now one of his most vocal defenders in the Senate. His seat in court on Monday would seem to be the most visible show of that role.
During the past several weeks, Mr. Trump has often been joined in the courtroom by aides — and occasionally, ideological allies — who provide him support amid a trial that has exhumed mortifying details of his personal life.
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