An attorney who once represented Michael Cohen testified Monday that Donald Trump’s fixer-turned-foe had told him the ex-president “knew nothing” about the hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels — moments before irking the judge by rolling his eyes and muttering on the stand.
Robert “Bob” Costello, the second witness called by Trump’s lawyers at his Manhattan criminal trial, contradicted previous testimony by Cohen that the real estate mogul was aware of the deal to pay Daniels $130,000 to silence her story about having a tryst with him.
“Michael Cohen said numerous times that President Trump knew nothing about those payments, that he did this on his own, and he repeated that numerous times,” claimed Costello, a Trump ally who last week bashed the prosecution’s case in front of Congress.
Cohen also whined to him that “I don’t understand why they’re trying to put me in jail” over nondisclosure agreements, such as the one struck with Daniels, Costello, a former federal prosecutor in New York, added from the stand.
Tensions flared minutes later after Costello grew visibly peeved — muttering under his breath — after Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan sustained several objections from prosecutors to his testimony.
“Jeez,” he exclaimed at one point.
“I’m sorry?” the annoyed judge asked Costello twice.
It came after Trump attorney Emil Bove tried asking Costello about a conversation he had with Cohen around April 19 or 20 of 2018, and Costello said he couldn’t remember off the top of his head.
Prosecutors objected to the question, and Justice Merchan sustained the objection — which irked Costello and prompted the outburst.
The judge then excused the jury to lecture Costello about “proper decorum” inside his courtroom, telling him that if he doesn’t like a ruling, “you don’t say jeez.”
“If you don’t like my ruling, you don’t give me side eye and you don’t roll your eyes,” he said, before accusing the witness of staring him down.
“Are you staring me down right now?” the judge fired. “Are you staring me down right now?”
“Clear the courtroom!” the judge said, briefly forcing reporters out into the hallway.
Behind closed doors, the judge laid into Costello and threatened to remove him from the stand, according to a court transcript.
“Sir, your conduct is contemptuous right now,” Merchan told Costello.
“I’m putting you on notice that your conduct is contemptuous. If you try to stare me down one more time, I will remove you from the stand,” the judge warned.
Addressing Bove, Merchan added: “I will strike his entire testimony; do you understand me?”
Trump’s lawyer acknowledged that he understood, according to the transcript.
“Listen to the question and answer the question,” the judge told the court.
Costello then tried to chime in, but was quickly shot down.
“Can I say something, please?” Costello asked.
“No. No. This is not a conversation,” replied the judge.
Earlier, Costello testified about how Cohen looked like a “maniac” when he first met him at the Regency Hotel on April 17, 2018, after Cohen’s home and law offices were raided by law enforcement.
“He was absolutely a maniac from the beginning, marching back and forth, pacing,” Costello said about the meeting.
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