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WHY TWO MISSOURI LAWMAKERS TRAVELED TO THE TRUMP TRIAL | KANSAS CITY STAR

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Government & Politics


TWO MISSOURI LAWMAKERS HAVE SHOWN UP AT THE TRUMP TRIAL IN NEW YORK. HERE’S WHY.

By Daniel Desrochers
May 28, 2024 5:00 AM

President Donald Trump spoke Tuesday, July 24, at the Veterans of Foreign Wars’
national convention at Municipal Auditorium. Tammy Ljungblad
tljungblad@kcstar.com

WASHINGTON

Rep. Eric Burlison wasn’t expected back in Congress until Tuesday. His wife and
kids were flying to visit family.

So on a Sunday night, he took a late flight from Missouri to New York City,
arrived after midnight, donned his navy suit and red tie so he could stand
behind President Donald Trump as he stands trial over whether the former
president illegally concealed hush money payments to salvage his 2016
presidential bid.

“I wanted to go there because it is an historic moment and also, I wanted to
show moral support to a guy that deserves it,” Burlison told The Star. “I mean,
look, a lot of people who have my same political view, a lot of conservatives
see him as their fighter.”

Click to resize

“He’s the one taking the punches for us,” he said.

Burlison, who represents the area around Springfield, was the first Missourian
in Congress to make the trip. The next day, Sen. Eric Schmitt made the trip –
also wearing a navy suit and red tie – and caught the end of the testimony for
the final witness in the case.

They joined the daily drumbeat of Republican politicians and Trump hangers-on
who have traveled to New York to join the former president in court – and then
stand behind him as he speaks to reporters when he leaves the courtroom.



Many Republicans appear eager to put their work aside to support the leader of
their party. House Speaker Mike Johnson and potential Trump vice presidential
picks like Sens. J.D. Vance and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum have all made the
pilgrimage – a demonstration of the party’s unwavering commitment to Trump
despite a litany of felony charges.

While Trump could potentially face four felony trials – a case in Georgia about
election interference, a case in Washington about election interference and a
case in Florida about his refusal to hand over classified documents to the
National Archives – the trial in New York may be the only one before Election
Day.

Schmitt was willing to miss two Senate votes Tuesday during his few hours in New
York – both related to the confirmation of a U.S. District Court judge in
Arizona. His absence, coupled with Sen. Josh Hawley’s absence due to an illness
– meant that Missouri had no representation in those votes.

“I felt compelled to go, to show him some support,” Schmitt said. “And then
also, as a former prosecutor, Attorney General, I just think the lawfare is very
dangerous. So I wanted to go and see it myself and be a witness.”



Burlison poured himself a cup of coffee and admitted he was tired the morning
after the trip. His train from New York to Washington was also delayed – marking
two late nights in a row – and he was at the office early.

Still, he insisted it was worth it to support the former president.

“It’s a brutal day,” Burlison said. “He’s being held in these very old, dark,
damp rooms. They basically put them in prison each day from the beginning of the
day until the day is done. And they dictate when he has to be there when he can
go home.”

By many accounts, Trump has been treated better than most defendants in a
similar position. He was allowed a pause in the trial to attend his son’s high
school graduation, and the judge has held off jailing him for contempt of court,
despite multiple violations of a gag order on him.



Before he went to see Trump, Burlison was speaking to a group in southwestern
Missouri called the Southwest Missouri Patriots.

He said they asked him to tell the president ‘we love him, we’re praying for
him, and we got his back.’”

“I specifically said that to him,” Burlison said. “I said, ‘Mr. President,
people in southwest Missouri love you, they pray for you and they they want you
to know that they’ve got your back.’”

Burlison said he does not believe that Trump did anything wrong, claiming all
the cases brought against the former president are driven by partisan politics.
When it was pointed out that a jury would decide whether the claims against
Trump were valid, Burlison said he didn’t think a jury would vote to convict.



“I wouldn’t put it past a jury out of New York to be absolutely insane,”
Burlison said.

Schmitt said the courtroom was a dingy space – it’s a more than 80 year old
building. He sat in the first row and attempted to watch the jury, to see how
they were reacting to the testimony of Robert Costello, an attorney and former
federal prosecutor.

He, too, criticized the trial as politically motivated.

“As somebody who cares about our legal system, I think this is very dangerous
and it’s like a show trial to me. And so speaking out about it, I thought it was
a good opportunity to do that.”



While serving as Missouri Attorney General, Schmitt helped build his reputation
by launching political lawsuits – during his campaign for Senate, Schmitt said
it was his job to wake up and sue President Joe Biden.

As to what was with the red ties – nearly every male Republican who’s shown up
at the trial has worn a red tie – Schmitt claimed he didn’t coordinate.

“There was no memo on that,” Schmitt said. “I just happened to grab a red tie,
although much has been made about red ties these days. But my wife thinks I look
good in the red tie.”

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DANIEL DESROCHERS

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Daniel Desrochers is the Star’s Washington correspondent. He covers Congress and
the White House with a focus on policy and politics important to Kansas and
Missouri. He previously covered politics and government for the Lexington
Herald-Leader and the Charleston Gazette-Mail.


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