Firebrand representative Lauren Boebert has gone out of her way to explain away Donald Trump appearing to fall asleep during his criminal trial.
The former president wasn’t sleeping, he was praying, the Colorado representative claimed during a House hearing on Thursday night. But she added if he was indeed sleeping, as has been widely reported, at least he looked “pretty.”
Her comments were prompted after Democratic Rep Robert Garcia began outlining the many times Mr Trump appears to have fallen asleep in court over alleged hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.
“It’s not President Biden who’s not sharp. It’s in fact Donald Trump, who is too tired and sleepy to stay awake through his own criminal trial,” he said.
“I think he’s praying,” Ms Boebert responded. “But if he is sleeping, he certainly looks pretty while he sleeps. Maybe it’s an endearing moment of prayer, though.”
“I know when I fall asleep on airplanes my mouth kinda drops open,” she added. “And his mouth is kinda tightlipped, so maybe it’s just a somber moment of thought.”
She also argued the trial proceedings are boring enough that it would put anyone to sleep. “It’s not as exciting as the House Oversight Committee.”
Mr Trump is on trial charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records over a hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, to keep her quiet about an alleged affair with Mr Trump in 2006.
Mr Trump has denied the affair took place and pleaded not guilty.
“Praying is always the most likely scenario for Trump. Two Corinthians,” attorney Ron Filipkowski wrote on X in reaction to Ms Boebert’s comments, referencing a January 2016 speech by Mr Trump at the Christian Liberty University, where he mispronounced a book of the Bible, cursed twice, and referred to “Two Corinthians” instead of Second Corinthians.