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GOP group pays bill for Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird to travel to Trump trial in New York
Caleb McCullough, Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau
May. 14, 2024 7:11 pm, Updated: May. 15, 2024 7:34 am
DES MOINES — Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird's campaign confirmed Tuesday she was invited to attend former President Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York on Monday by the Republican Attorneys General Association, and the organization paid her travel expenses.
Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, is on trial for charges alleging he falsified business records to pay off porn star Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence over her story of a sexual encounter with him years earlier. He is also facing felony charges in Georgia and at the federal level over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Several prominent Republicans, including Bird, have made appearances at the trial and spoken in support of Trump. Bird was asked Tuesday who paid for her visit to New York. She said no taxpayer dollars were used, but did not specify who financed the trip.
"I went to New York to show my support for President Trump, and to witness what was going on there in that courtroom in Manhattan," she said.
A spokesperson later confirmed that the Republican Attorneys General Association paid for the trip.
"RAGA invited attorneys general to go to Manhattan and show support for President Trump," said spokesperson Alyssa Brouillet. "Attorney General Bird was one of those attorneys general. RAGA covered the expenses."