The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan suddenly sealed his courtroom on Monday afternoon, kicking all reporters out so he could engage in a brawl with Robert Costello, a MAGA-friendly lawyer who played a key role in the attempted backchannel between Michael Cohen and the Trump White House in 2018.
After Costello, a former prosecutor, was reprimanded for delivering outbursts in the court whenever he was interrupted or told not to answer a question that had been objected to and sustained, Costello began to stare down the judge.
“Mr. Costello, I’d like to discuss proper decorum in my courtroom, OK?” Judge Juan Merchan said after ordering the jury out of the room.
“Right,” Costello replied.
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Merchan then told Costello that witnesses on the stand cannot “act out” if they don’t like a judge’s ruling.
“I’m the only one who can spike testimony in the courtroom. If you don’t like my ruling, you don’t give me side-eye. Do you understand that?”
“OK,” Costello replied.
But then, when Merchan had turned around, he saw that Costello was staring straight at him again. “Are you staring me down?” he asked.
At that, he ordered security to secure the courtroom and all journalists to leave so he could give Costello a dressing down.
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Source Agencies
