A congressman threw jabs at former President Donald Trump during the hearing for Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday, stating that the businessman is "so weak and feeble" that he can't possibly be re-elected president of the United States.
"If a person cannot stand trial, he should not be president of the United States," California Representative Ted Lieu, a firebrand Democrat, told the around two dozen said during a hearing for the House Committee on the Judiciary.
"Donald Trump has fallen asleep multiple times at his own criminal trial," Mr Lieu continued. As a former prosecutor, he said Trump's behaviour in the courtroom is "not normal".
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"I think there are some physical and mental health issues that should be investigated. If a person is so weak and feeble, if Donald Trump is so weak and feeble he cannot stay awake at his own criminal trial, he cannot be president of the United States," Mr Lieu concluded.
Trump currently faces 34 felony counts related to the falsification of business records in an effort to hide an alleged $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. The adult actress came forward and claimed that she had an affair with him back in 2006 in Nevada.
Ms Daniels threatened to come forward with the information in 2016 as the businessman ran for his first term in the White House. His campaign is reported to have believed her accusations could harm his chances of securing the Oval Office, so the Republican had his former lawyer and confidant turned nemesis Michael Cohen pay the adult performer to silence her.
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A congressman said Trump is too "weak and feeble" for the presidency as he falls asleep in court during his hush money trial (Getty Images)But a deep dive into the former president's business records and finances during his first few years in office revealed a series of financial discrepancies, including the payment to Ms Daniels, prompting her to come forward and share her story as Trump still sat as president, with proceedings schedule for after he left office.
Earlier this week, Michael Cohen testified at Trump's trial, undermining the presumptive Republican nominee's own claims of innocence as he painted a picture of an "involved" Trump who knew the workings of his Trump Organization inside and out despite taking a distant approach to managing the company amid his legal career.
Cohen testified that Trump approved the $130,000 payment to Daniels and that there were, in fact, discussions with Trump's campaign about the damage the porn star's claims could have on his presidential bid.
Rep Lieu's comments came amid the contempt of Congress hearing for Attorney General Merrick Garland (House Committee on the Judiciary)In another bombshell, the former Trump "fixer" revealed to the New York City Criminal Court that there was a secret recording he harboured that detailed a planned payout to Playboy model Karen McDougal, which he played for the court.
There were accusations from the defence team that it had been altered, but Cohen insisted that it hadn't been as he presented phone records showing exactly why the recording ended abruptly.
Conservative Republican lawmakers also reportedly attacked Cohen's credibility outside the courtroom during a morning break, criticising him in ways the former president is barred from doing amid his gag order, issued by Judge Juan Merchan.
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Representative Schiff also bashed Trump as he called him immoral and said the Republicans who were standing up for him outside the courthouse were simply acting in Trump's best interests (AFP via Getty Images)Merchan reportedly weighed issuing the gag order because of the manner in which it could violate Trump's First Amendment rights, but he ultimately deemed it necessary because of the way Trump is known to attack witnesses and others involved with the trial in manners that could impact the "integrity" of the case.
So, Republican Representative Matt Gaetz stood outside the courthouse and dubbed Cohen a liar "who committed these lies for his own benefit" as he testified on the stand. He also called the entire case against Trump the "Mr Potato Head of crimes, where they had to stick together a bunch of things that did not belong together".
Representatives Anna Paulina Luna and Ralph Norman, also Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus, joined the Florida representative as he criticised Merchan's daughter, who has worked as a Democratic political consultant for many years.
Norman reportedly referred to the case as a proceeding in "kangaroo court, plain and simple". This all occurred as protesters against Trump rallied outside the courthouse a small ways away and hurled obscenities at the lawmakers as they also criticised them for their actions at the courthouse.
It wasn't just the protesters who criticised the Republican lawmakers, either — California Representative Adam Schiff, who has served in various roles during his more than 20 years in Congress, also spoke about the congresspeople during the Merrick Garland hearing on Thursday, specifically attacking House Speaker Mike Johnson, who himself was seen at one point outside the courthouse advocating for "the moral character" of the former president, who Schiff said had "none" to begin with.
Schiff told the committee, referring to both the proceedings therein and the courthouse protests: "The Republicans in this committee have moved from being the political defence firm for the president to being essentially an adjunct of the president's media advertising firm. They want the video for Donald Trump's campaign commercials."
"What are we doing?" Schiff demanded. "We're holding the Attorney General of the United States in contempt, and for what? Because he won't give video material for a campaign commercial to this committee on behalf of a president who is a criminal defendant in a hush-money-payment-to-porn-star case in New York, the first of many criminal trials that he will face."
The trial began in late April and could stretch on for several more weeks as Cohen is expected to testify for days, with more bombshells expected throughout proceedings. It has garnered international media attention as the first criminal trial of a former president in US history.
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