Costello repeatedly harassed Merchan by continuing to speak despite objections being sustained – a signal to witnesses to stop talking. Today we will discuss about Robert Costello: Chaos breaks out in courtroom as defense witnesses testify.
Robert Costello: Chaos breaks out in courtroom as defense witnesses testify
Robert Costello, a lawyer who once provided legal advice to Mr Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, was the second witness called by Mr Trump’s legal team.
Mr Costello has been a vocal critic of the case against Mr Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in connection with the hush money payments.
On Monday, Mr Costello appeared to take his frustrations to the witness stand.
“Jeez,” Mr. Costello sighed into the microphone as Justice Juan Merchan repeatedly objected on behalf of prosecutors, cutting off his responses.
“I’m sorry?” The judge immediately replied in a disappointed tone.
From that point, things only escalated as Mr. Costello subsequently appeared to groan over more objections and lengthy sidebars between lawyers and the judge.
Justice Merchan apparently overstepped his bounds by asking jurors to leave the room so he could discuss “proper etiquette in my courtroom” with Mr Costello.
With the jurors out of sight, Justice Merchan began punishing the former federal prosecutor, whom Cohen said he used as a back channel to connect him with Mr. Trump and the White House in 2018. has worked.
He told the witness, “You don’t say ‘Jeez’. And then if you don’t like my decision, don’t look at me sideways, and don’t roll your eyes.”
Mr Costello appeared to turn his back on Justice Marchen as he scolded him, prompting another sharp reaction from the judge.
“Are you staring at me?” He soon started barking.
Justice Merchan said, “Evacuate the courtroom”, prompting court officials to shout at dozens of members of the public and journalists to leave immediately.
Some journalists objected to being escorted out of the public proceedings, but they were eventually acquiesced and officials escorted the men out of the room.
Reporters stood stunned in the hallway for several minutes before officials allowed everyone back into the room.
Chaos breaks out in courtroom as defense witnesses testify
Prosecutors in the trial of former President Donald Trump rested their case on Monday after a tumultuous fourth day of Michael Cohen’s testimony as Trump’s defense team began calling its own witnesses, including him on the stand. The turn is over.
Jurors soon heard from Robert Costello, an attorney whose testimony surpassed Cohen’s in bitterness, causing the judge to angrily leave the courtroom.
In an extraordinary confrontation at the end of the day, Justice Juan Merchan gave Costello a stern warning for intervening and averting his eyes. “Are you staring at me?” Marchan asked the witness in a loud voice before suddenly yelling for everyone to leave.
Costello was the focus of Cohen’s investigation of both sides. He offered himself as a “back channel” to Cohen after the FBI raided Cohen’s home and office in 2018. He claimed that Cohen told him that Trump “knew nothing” about the “hush money” payments at the core of the case.
During the morning and afternoon, Cohen faced one last rebuke from Trump attorney Todd Blanche, who once again attacked Cohen’s credibility, motivation, and general truthfulness. Portraying Cohen as motivated by greed and willing to lie, Blanche got Cohen to confess to stealing $30,000 from a tech company in 2017, and told the jury under oath about his history of perjury. Reminded about.
Cohen is the only person who has testified about an alleged scheme to falsify business records to cover up a $130,000 “hush money” payment Trump made to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. contained personal information. Trump has been charged with 34 felonies and has pleaded innocent.
Costello will return to the stand Tuesday. Merchan said both sides should be ready to begin closing arguments next week. Earlier he had hoped that the settlement of the case would start this week, but…
