There has been a scandal in the trial against former US President Donald Trump in connection with hush money payments to a porn star. The judge burst his collar because of the questioning of witnesses.
Judge Juan Merchan exploded when questioning defense witness Robert Costello in New York on Monday 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.
The judge instructed the witness – Costello is a lawyer himself – that he was not allowed to answer in such cases. When the objection was upheld, Costello then audibly said “Jeesh” – which can be translated as “Oh my God.” Merchan then had the jury taken out of the room and said to the Trump ally Costello: “I want to talk about the right one in my courtroom “Speak with decency.” He refuses to comment on his decisions.
As Costello continued to glare at the judge, Merchan blurted out, audibly annoyed, “Are you staring me down?” He then had the court 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.