Governor Kim Reynolds has not spoken to Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird since Bird attended former President Donald Trump’s trial in New York on Monday, but both Reynolds and Bird are using the word “travesty” to describe the proceedings.
“It should be stopped. If this was anybody else, this wouldn’t be happening,” Reynolds said on Wednesday after a bill signing ceremony on an Iowa County farm. “It’s preventing him from being on the campaign trail.”
Reynolds said it’s important for fellow Republicans to attend the trial because the judge has ordered Trump not to speak about the jury, the prosecution or witnesses. “Other people have said, ‘Well then we’re going to go express our First Amendment right because we can say that this is a sham. There is no ‘there’ there,'” Reynolds said. “…And if they think this was going to take him down, I think it’s actually having the opposite impact.”
Reynolds, who has two dozen bills left from the 2024 legislative session to review and sign, told reporters from Radio Iowa and Iowa Public Radio she is focused on that and has no plan to fly to New York for the trial, but the governor said she intends to make it clear to Iowans how she views the case against Trump.
“This is ridiculous. It is a sham. It’s an egregious act that’s taking place and however you feel comfortable in helping relay that to the American people or to your constituents, that’s an individual decision,” Reynolds said, “but I think I’ve been pretty clear on where I stand with it.”
Trump was first charged over a year ago with making so-called “hush money” payments to prevent two women from publicly accusing him of having sex outside of his marriage. Reynolds, who backed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in January’s Iowa Caucuses, endorsed Trump in early March, right after Trump won the so-called “Super Tuesday” primaries in 15 states.
Attorney General Bird endorsed Trump in October and her travel to Trump’s trial this week was paid for by the Republican Attorneys General Association. Reynolds, a member of the Republican Governors Association’s executive committee, said she’s not aware of similar arrangements being made by that group to get GOP governors to appear with Trump at the New York City courthouse.
