scandal over witnesses for the defense
Judge clears the room in the Trump trial
May 21, 2024, 12:13 a.m
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The Trump trial over alleged cover-up hush money is coming to an end. In the final spurt, the ex-US president’s defenders are trying to dismantle the main witness. An ex-federal prosecutor exonerates the defendant and annoys the judge.
There has been a scandal in the trial against former US President Donald Trump in connection with hush money payments to a porn star. Judge Juan Merchan exploded when questioning defense witness Robert Costello in New York because he appeared to question Merchan’s decisions. Costello, who was supposed to discredit key witness Michael Cohen, responded several times to questions to which Merchan had previously allowed the prosecution to object.
Judge Merchan explodes.
(Photo: REUTERS)
The judge instructed the witness – Costello is a lawyer himself – that he was not allowed to answer in such cases. In response to an objection that was upheld, Costello then audibly said “Jeesh” – which could be translated as “Oh my God”. Merchan then had the jurors escorted out of the courtroom and said to the Trump ally Costello: “I want to talk about proper decency in my courtroom”. He did not want any comments on his decisions.
“Are you staring me down?”
As Costello continued to glare at the judge, Merchan blurted out, audibly annoyed, “Are you staring me down?” He then had the room cleared – with the help of loud and sharp instructions from the court staff. Journalists and observers were allowed to re-enter room 1530 after a few minutes and the questioning continued.
Costello, a former federal prosecutor in New York, is relevant to the case because he has been a harsh critic of the Trump confidant in the years since the spectacular fallout between Trump and his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen. Costello testified that Cohen knew nothing about the hush money payment to the porn actress. “Michael Cohen has said multiple times that President Trump did not know about these payments and that he did so on his own initiative, and he has repeated that multiple times,” Costello told jurors.
Costello had offered to represent Cohen shortly after the lawyer’s hotel room, office and apartment were searched and Cohen was faced with deciding whether to cooperate with authorities in the hope of receiving more lenient treatment amid the criminal investigation.
Closing arguments next week?
The trial against Trump is coming to an end. Before the scandal, the prosecution announced after questioning key witness Michael Cohen that it would not call any other people to the witness stand. Trump lawyer Todd Blanche had announced that the upcoming questioning of defense witnesses could be completed within one day of the meeting.
This could be followed by closing arguments – Judge Merchan mentioned Tuesday of next week as a possible date – and the deliberations of the twelve jurors for a verdict. There is no official time limit for deliberations, but juries usually deliberate between a few hours and several days. If found guilty, Judge Merchan would determine the sentence. Trump faces a prison sentence of several years, which could also be suspended, or a fine.
The prosecution accuses Trump of wanting to improve his chances of winning the 2016 presidential election by paying porn actress Daniels $130,000. Although the payment itself – which neither party disputes – was not illegal, the now 77-year-old is said to have manipulated documents when reimbursing the amount to his then personal lawyer Cohen in order to conceal the true reason for the transaction. This made the payments illegal campaign financing. This is the first criminal case against a former president in the history of the United States.