A defense witness in Donald Trump’s secret trial was reprimanded during the trial for glancing at him out of the corner of his eye and making comments in hushed tones while he was on the stand.
In short, Judge Juan Merchan got rid of the jury and reporters in the courtroom just minutes after Robert Costello’s testimony began.
The former federal prosecutor, who publicly criticized the prosecution’s star witness, Michael Cohen, repeatedly upset judges over his testimony.
Costello was heard quietly remarking and proceeding to speak after the objections were upheld, a signal to witnesses to avoid talking.
After apologizing to the jury, Merchan said, “Mr. Costello, I need to talk about decorum in my courtroom.
“When there’s a witness on the stand, if you don’t like my decision, you don’t say ‘God’ . . . You don’t look at me out of the corner of your eye or roll your eyes. “
Earlier Monday, Michael Cohen, a former Trump lawyer, admitted to jurors that he stole tens of thousands of dollars from his former boss’s company.
Cohen was the last witness before the prosecution finished its thesis, and his testimony last week directly connected Trump to the alleged secret cash scheme.
While pressed by defense attorney Todd Blanche, Cohen admitted to pocketing cash that was allegedly the result of a $50,000 (£39,000) payment he claimed he had made to a technology company.
But Cohen only gave the tech company £20,000 (£15,700), he said.
“So you stole from the Trump organization,” Blanche asked.
“Yes, sir,” Cohen replied.
Juries may begin deliberating next week on whether Trump is guilty of 34 counts of tampering with business records in the first felon trial against a former U. S. president.
Read more: Pornstars, Scandals and ZZ: From A to Z of the Trump Trial
The fees stem from internal records of the Trump Organization, in which invoices made to Cohen were considered legal fees, while prosecutors say they were refunds of cash paid through porn star Stormy Daniels.
Trump has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers say there’s nothing wrong with the deal with Daniels or the way Cohen paid.
“There’s no crime,” Trump said after arriving in court Monday. “We pay legal fees. Do you know what that means? Legal Fees. “
Judge Merchan expects closing arguments to take position on May 28.
Cohen is the prosecution’s most important witness, but he is vulnerable to attack.
The now-disbarred lawyer admitted on the stand to lying under oath and other lies, many of which he said were directed at Trump.
Cohen served time in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges, lying to Congress and a bank, and engaging in cross-financial violations such as the secret money program.
He has made millions of dollars from books criticizing the former president, whom he criticizes on social media in occasionally crude terms.