NEW YORK (NEWSnet/AP) — The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s state criminal trial briefly closed the courtroom Monday, sending reporters into the hallway after he admonished a defense witness for behavior in the courtroom.

This action happened minutes into the testimony of Robert Costello, a former federal prosecutor who has publicly blasted the prosecution’s key witness, Michael Cohen.

Costello aggravated Judge Juan M. Merchan repeatedly in his testimony by making comments under his breath and continuing to speak after objections were sustained — a signal to witnesses to stop talking. At one point, Costello remarked “jeez” when he was cut off by an objection. He also called the whole exercise “ridiculous.”

After excusing the jury, Merchan told Costello: “If you don’t like my ruling, you don’t say ‘jeez’ ... You don’t give me side eye, and you don’t roll your eyes.”

Reporters were taken aback that they were shooed out of the courtroom during proceedings. They were allowed back in after about five minutes.

While there are no media cameras allowed during a New York court proceeding under state law, journalists normally can sit in the courtroom to watch, listen and take notes.

The prosecution had rested its case earlier Monday after several days of testimony from Cohen, Trump’s former attorney.

Costello is a former federal prosecutor in New York. He testified that Cohen told him Trump “knew nothing” about the $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels involved in the business records cited in this case.

There have already been more than four weeks of testimony, although a schedule where the trial was in session three to four days a week.

Jurors might begin deliberating as soon as next week to decide whether Trump is guilty 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Merchan said he expects closing arguments to happen May 28, the Tuesday after Memorial Day.

The charges stem from internal Trump Organization records where payments to Cohen were marked as legal expenses. Prosecutors say they were really reimbursements for the payment to Daniels to keep her from going public before the 2016 election with claims of a sexual encounter with Trump. Trump says nothing sexual happened between them.

Trump has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers say there was nothing criminal about the Daniels deal or the way Cohen was paid.

“There’s no crime,” Trump told reporters after arriving at the courthouse Monday. “We paid a legal expense. You know what it’s marked down as? A legal expense.”

Defense lawyers said they have not decided whether Trump will testify.

In the Meantime

 

Donald Trump’s lawyers on Monday urged the judge overseeing this trial to stop the case from going to the jury and throw out the charges after prosecutors concluded their presentation of evidence.

Judge Juan M. Merchan did not immediately rule on the defense request.

Follow NEWSnet on Facebook and X platform to get our headlines in your social feeds.

Copyright 2024 NEWSnet and The Associated Press. All rights reserved.