President Trump was back in a Manhattan court on Monday in Alvin Bragg’s Soviet-style ‘hush money’ lawfare trial.
The prosecutors earlier Monday rolled out their ‘star witness’ Michael Cohen, a convicted perjurer, to take the witness stand.
Cohen shocked the public when he admitted he stole tens of thousands of dollars from Trump and lied to Trump Org. CFO Allen Weisselberg.
After the prosecution rested their case, Trump’s defense team called attorney Robert Costello to the witness stand.
Recall that Robert Costello previously blasted Michael Cohen as a “convicted perjurer” and said Bragg’s prosecutors cherry-picked emails.
Crooked Judge Merchan excoriated Costello and cleared the courtroom!
Judge Merchan just cleared the entire courtroom after feuding with Trump's witness Bob Costello
SHAM TRIAL pic.twitter.com/IEEBA8Song
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) May 20, 2024
Here is the exchange between Judge Merchan and Robert Costello courtesy of TGP contributor Paul Ingrassia who is inside of the NYC courtroom live reporting:
Merchan grows irate, begins EXCORIATING Robert Costello on the stand for making a few off-handed remarks and rolling his eyes during the testimony.
Merchan: Are you staring me down right now?
Costello: I’m not.
Merchan: GET OUT OF THE COURTROOM, NOW! GET OUT OF THE COURTROOM!
*VIDEO CUTS OUT*
TGP’s Paul Ingrassia said the trial resumed after a delay following a fiery exchange between Judge Merchan and Bob Costello.
“Merchan is absolutely seething over Costello’s damning testimony. The type of treatment Costello, an experienced prosecutor who once worked for the US Attorney’s Office for New York in the 1970s and early 1980s, is receiving on the witness stand from the judge is disgusting,” Paul Ingrassia said.
“Merchan is visibly perturbed, condescending, and downright abusive of the witness on the stand. Outrageous behavior from a judge, and totally inappropriate for any courtroom! No decorum whatsoever!” Ingrassia said.
Judge Merchan ran interference for Alvin Bragg and continued to shout at Costello.
Via Paul Ingrassia:
Bragg Prosecutor: Did you say Michael Cohen was acting like a drama queen? Yes or No?
Costello: I said I didn’t know if Michael Cohen was acting like a drama queen.
Merchan, again, chastises Costello from the stand: WOULD YOU JUST ANSWER YES OR NO?
Bragg Prosecutor: You don’t like drama queens, don’t you?
Judge Merchan abruptly ended the day’s proceedings with “have a good night.”
