Trump Judge Clears Courtroom Amid Confrontation With Defense Witness

‘Are you staring me down?’ the judge asked Robert Costello.

(Left) Judge Juan M. Merchan poses in his chambers in New York on March 14, 2024. (Right) Former President Donald Trump at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on March 25, 2024. Seth Wenig/AP Photo; Spencer Platt/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump’s attorneys called Robert Costello, an attorney who advised witness Michael Cohen, to testify in the former president’s New York trial on Monday.

Judge Juan Merchan ruled Mr. Costello could testify about “two prior inconsistent statements“ connected to Mr. Cohen’s earlier testimony in the case. The judge said that he did not want it to become a ”trial within a trial.”