NEW YORK — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is in New York City today for the criminal trial of Donald Trump.
Manhattan prosecutors say Trump and his associates took part in an illegal scheme to influence the 2016 presidential campaign by burying negative stories about his alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels.
He has pleaded not guilty.
The second week of testimony in the historic hush money trial began after the judge held Trump in contempt and fined him $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and others connected to the case.
Paxton entered the courtroom with the former president's legal team.
"With President Trump in NYC to sit through this sham of a trial. This trial is a travesty of justice. I stand with Trump," Paxton posted on X.
We've reached out to the attorney general's office to ask if he had official state business in New York or went there solely to attend the trial and are waiting to hear back.
Paxton and Trump longtime political allies
Paxton has long been a vocal Trump supporter and filed an unsuccessful lawsuit in 2020 with false claims of fraud that questioned President Joe Biden's victory. Earlier this month, a three-judge panel of the 5th District Court of Appeals said Paxton can be sanctioned by a State Bar of Texas committee for his actions.
Paxton is among the highest-profile attorneys to face a threat of sanctions for aiding in efforts led by former President Donald Trump to throw into question Trump's defeat.
The attorney general has also filed a flurry of lawsuits against the Biden administration.
When the House voted to impeach Paxton last May, Trump returned the favors and promised to target Republicans who turned against Paxton, the Texas Tribune reported.
After the Texas Senate acquitted Paxton, Trump claimed credit.
“Yes, it is true that my intervention through TRUTH SOCIAL saved Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from going down at the hands of Democrats and some Republicans, headed by PAUL RINO (Ryan), Karl Rove, and others, almost all of whom came back to reason when confronted with the facts,” Trump said, naming checking former U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan and former White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.