NEW YORK, May 14, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - US House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday ramped up the politicization of Donald Trump's criminal trial, appearing at the New York court and assailing the justice system for being "weaponized" against the former president.

"The judicial system in our country has been weaponized against president Trump. The system is using all the tools at its disposal right now to punish one president and provide cover for another," Johnson told reporters outside the court after a phalanx of allies appeared with Trump as he entered the trial.