Chuck DarwinTrump’s Trial:
After the prosecution rested its case the defense called its witness, Robert J. Costello,
a lawyer who had once advised Mr. Cohen.
The defense saw Mr. Costello as a foil to Mr. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s onetime personal lawyer and longtime henchman.
But the strategy may not have paid off:
The judge promptly lost his patience with Mr. Costello, a prosecutor turned defense lawyer and a fixture in New York’s legal world.
When Mr. Costello scoffed at one of the judge’s rulings
— “jeez,” he said, before mumbling a retraction
— the judge grew irate.
Excusing the jury, the judge, Juan M. Merchan, lectured Mr. Costello:
“If you don’t like my ruling, you don’t say ‘jeez,’ and you don’t say ‘strike it,’
because I’m the only one who can strike testimony in court,” he said,
adding, “Are you staring me down?”
He ordered the courtroom cleared, briefly ejecting reporters and other onlookers, while allowing Mr. Trump’s supporters to remain.
The explosion overshadowed the performance from Mr. Cohen,
who on his fourth and final day on the stand fended off a fusillade of attacks from the defense.
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