Morning Joe co-host Willie Geist called out House Speaker Mike Johnson for defending former President Donald Trump after having professed the Bible as his guide.
The criminal trial in New York revolves around accusations that Trump falsified business records in an attempt to conceal hush money payments made to adult film performer Stormy Daniels to silence her ahead of the 2016 general election.
Johnson has previously cited the Bible as the source of his "worldview" and urged members of the media to turn to Scripture to understand his stance on social and political issues.
For instance, in his first remarks after being elected Speaker in late October, Johnson delivered a speech emphasizing his belief in divine ordination, drawing upon "Scripture" and "the Bible" to assert that God is responsible for raising up those in authority.
Johnson expressed his conviction that his election, along with the other members of Congress, was not a coincidence but a divine plan. He urged his colleagues to recognize their significant responsibility and use their God-given gifts to serve the people of the nation.
Yet he nonetheless defended Trump in remarks outside the lower Manhattan courthouse where his election interference trial is being held, saying:
"President Trump is a friend and I wanted to be here to support him. I'm here speaking with you outside because the court won't allow us inside the building. That's just one of many things wrong here."
"This is the fifth week that President Trump has been in court for this sham of a trial. They are doing this intentionally to keep him here and keep him off the campaign trail. I think everyone in the country can see that for what it is."
"I'm an attorney. I'm a former litigator myself and I am disgusted by what's happening here and what is being done to our entire system of justice overall. The people are losing faith right now in this country, in our institutions, in our system of justice."
You can hear what Johnson said in the video below.
Not long afterward, Geist called out Johnson's hypocrisy during an episode of Morning Joe, saying:
"We should remind people that when asked for his worldview—Mike Johnson became Speaker of the House [and] no one knew anything about him—he said, 'You want to know my worldview? Go read the Bible. That's what I stand for.'"
"And now today he's down in lower Manhattan defending the guy on trial for allegedly paying off a porn star for an alleged affair he had while his wife was home with their infant son."
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Many concurred with Geist's assessment.
The New York Times noted that it "was striking to watch the Speaker of the House, second in line to the presidency in a crisis, stooping to overheated language more familiar at MAGA rallies."
The publication noted that "Mr. Johnson’s attacks on Mr. Trump’s behalf did what the former president himself could not, bound as he is by a gag order during his trial on felony charges of falsifying business records."
Trump is explicitly prohibited from issuing such remarks. In March, Judge Juan Merchan prohibited him from making statements concerning witnesses, jurors, and the families of any lawyer involved in the case.
This order, upheld by an appeals court on Tuesday, also prevents him from "directing others to make" such statements. However, it remains uncertain whether the comments made by Trump's supporters violate the order, and the approach the judge could take in addressing them is unclear.
