Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird was part of an entourage that followed Donald Trump to the courthouse Monday as the former president stood trial in a hush money case in New York.
Bird, a Republican, endorsed Trump ahead of the 2024 Iowa caucuses and has used her position to aggressively target Democratic President Joe Biden’s policies.
In video footage, Bird can be seen entering the courthouse behind Trump with a group of supporters, including Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N. . Vance would be a running mate as Trump seeks another term.
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During a lunch break in his testimony, Bird joined a news conference outside the New York courthouse with other Trump supporters, including Vance and Tuberville.
She said she came from Iowa to represent the state’s support for the former president.
“We need him to be our president again leading our country,” Bird said. “I trained as a prosecutor and what I saw in this courtroom today is a travesty. Politics has no place in a court of law.”
Bird said Trump should be campaigning, not spending time in court. She claimed the accusations against Trump were a “scam” aimed at preventing him from regaining the presidency.
“They’re trying to accuse him of all these ridiculous things, including a star witness who is a perjurer, disbarred and convicted of lying,” Bird said. “It tells us the state we are in right now in this country.”
A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office said no taxpayer money was used to fund the trip. The office released a statement in which Bird again spoke out against the lawsuit, saying in part: “Politics has no place in a criminal prosecution. I am pleased to stand with President Trump in New York today to oppose the war against him. »
The Iowa Democratic Party criticized Bird’s appearance.
“Iowans deserve to know if their hard-earned dollars are going to a political photo op 1,800 miles from the state Capitol,” party Chairwoman Rita Hart said in a statement. “More so, Iowans deserve an attorney general who is focused on serving his constituents – not his political ambitions.
Bird has made a point of opposing the Biden administration at every turn. A Register analysis published in January found that his office had filed, attached or filed more than a dozen briefs against the federal government.
When Trump won the Iowa caucuses on January 15, he congratulated Bird in his victory speech, telling the Iowa crowd: “She will be your governor one day.” »
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, took the witness stand Monday in an effort to convince the jury that Trump authorized him to pay $130,000 in hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels before the election. 2016, and that Trump had arranged to repay it within a reasonable time. a ploy that would hide hush money.
Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records. He pleaded not guilty.
Cohen was disbarred after pleading guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations and lying to Congress, among other crimes. Prosecutors hope to overcome that burden and persuade a jury that Cohen is telling the truth.
USA TODAY contributed to this report.
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief political reporter for the Des Moines Register. She also covers the 2024 presidential race for USA TODAY as a senior national campaign correspondent. Contact her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.
Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Contact her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.
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