It was a remarkable moment in modern American politics: The House speaker amplifying Trump’s defense and turning the Republican Party against the federal and state legal systems that are foundational to the U.S. government and a cornerstone of democracy. Johnson, who is second in line for the presidency, called the court system “corrupt.”

The display was, by any fair measure, obscene. The sitting speaker of the House — Congress’ top official and a man two heartbeats from the presidency — decided that it would be fully appropriate to show up at a criminal trial and allow himself to be used as a mouthpiece for a suspected felon.

Johnson could’ve stuck to a relatively anodyne script, telling reporters that he expects his party’s presumptive 2024 nominee to ultimately be exonerated, but the GOP leader went far further, lashing out at the judge in the case, prosecutors, witnesses and even the system itself.