Trump Courtroom Plays Host to Nonstop Spectacle – The New York Times
Trump Hush-Money Trial
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Michael D. Cohen admitted stealing from the Trump Organization. The judge excoriated a defense witness. And Donald J. Trump’s entourage included a former leader of the Hells Angels.
Jonah E. Bromwich, Ben Protess and
On a pivotal day in the first criminal trial of an American president, the courtroom threatened to spin out of control.
The prosecution’s star witness, Michael D. Cohen, admitted on the stand to stealing from former President Donald J. Trump’s company. Mr. Trump’s courtroom entourage included three supporters charged with felonies of their own. And the defense’s only real witness was so defiant that the judge, after excoriating him, cleared the courtroom.
The trial’s first five weeks featured dramatic descriptions of sex and scandal, and the final phase of testimony on Monday showed no signs of a letup, as the courtroom played host to a nonstop spectacle.
The tension came to a head after the prosecution rested its case and 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?”
Here’s how key figures involved in making hush-money payoffs on behalf of Donald J. Trump are connected.
The first criminal trial of former President Donald J. Trump is underway. Take a closer look at central figures related to the case.
The indictment unveiled in April 2023 centers on a hush-money deal with a porn star, but a related document alleges a broader scheme to protect Donald J. Trump’s 2016 campaign.
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