NEW YORK — Donald Trump‘s defense began their case on Monday, calling two witnesses after days of attempting to damage former Trump lawyer and the prosecution’s star witness, Michael Cohen‘s, credibility.
The defense called attorney Robert Costello and it was during the testimony that one of the most heated exchanges of the trial erupted. Costello rolled his eyes and made remark under his breath, prompting Judge Juan Merchan to clear the courtroom.
“If you don’t like my ruling, you don’t give me side-eye, and you don’t roll your eyes,” Merchan said before asking, “Are you staring me down?”
After Trump called the move “highly political” and “conflicted” judge “just did something that nobody’s ever seen” after Costello began to impugn “his highly political motive.”
“Nobody’s ever seen anything like this,” Trump added.
Costello testified that Cohen told him numerous times, “I swear to God, Bob, I don’t have anything on Donald Trump,” and that he paid Stormy Daniels “on his own.”
Earlier in the day, Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche’s cross-examination of Cohen seemed endless. The most notable moment came when Cohen admitted he lied to Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg about how much was owed to a third party.
Cohen admitted he stole $30,000 from the Trump Organization by overstating how much he paid a tech company that provided services for the Trump Organization.
“You stole from the Trump Organization, right?” Blanche said.
“Yes, sir,” Cohen replied.
Prosecutors used the re-direct to restore Cohen’s credibility, leading the disgraced lawyer to repeat his testimony about Trump’s role in the hush money scheme, saying he had “no doubt” that he discussed the issue with the former president.
