Pro-Trump Witness Makes Judge Merchan MELT DOWN And Clear The Courtroom

A witness defending former President Donald Trump in his hush-money case was sharply rebuked on Monday by the judge, who ordered an emptying of the courtroom that left jurors in the dark and attendees in disbelief.

The sudden sealing of a Manhattan courtroom by Judge Juan Merchan came in response to testimony by Robert Costello, a former advisor to Michael Cohen who has spoken publicly about his one-time client’s reliability as a witness for District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Since serving as a backchannel between Cohen and the White House during part of President Trump’s first term, Costello has turned a cold shoulder against Cohen, accusing his onetime ally of saying or doing anything to keep himself out of prison and blaming Trump for his conviction for lying to Congress.

(ALERT: This Is The Handshake That Will Collapse The US Dollar)

During questioning from Trump’s legal team, Costello became noticeably frustrated as Alvin Bragg’s prosecutors talked over him, prompting him to raise his voice and do the same. The former prosecutor drew the ire of Merchan, who got into a staring match with Costello after he ordered the jury out of the room.

“Mr. Costello, I’d like to discuss proper decorum in my courtroom, OK?” Judge Juan Merchan said after the jury was cleared. “Right,” Costello replied according to the Daily Beast. Merchan added that Costello had no right in his courtroom to “act out” if he didn’t like his ruling on objections to particular questions.

“I’m the only one who can strike testimony in the courtroom. If you don’t like my ruling, you don’t give me side-eye and you don’t roll your eyes. Do you understand that?” Merchan asked him. “I understand that,” Costello replied.

Things became somewhat personal after Costello refused to break eye contact with the judge. “Are you staring me down right now?” he asked after turning back around. Merchan then ordered court officers to empty the room of reporters and members of the public so he could give Costello a dressing down, the outlet reports. A transcript later released by the court indicates that Merchan had a mini-meltdown in response to Costello standing up for himself.

“Your conduct is contemptuous right now. 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,” Merchan told Costello. The judge then turned to Trump attorney Emil Bove and warned him to control his witness. “I will strike his entire testimony; do you understand me?” Merchan told him. “Yes, Judge. I understand,” Bove responded.

Judge Merchan further warned Costello to shorten his answers in response to questions about Cohen, saying he believed the witness was intentionally lengthening the background of stories and encounters intended to cast doubt on the former fixer’s own testimony against Trump.

“Listen to the question and answer the question,” Merchan said.

But Costello remained insistent.

“Can I say something, please?” he interjected.

“No. No. This is not a conversation,” the judge stated.

The outlet noted that Costello’s face was bright red and he carried a visible frown after reporters were let back into the courtroom. Bove went on to ask Costello about a minor role he played in President Trump’s criminal case where he is alleged to have directed a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. However, nearly every question Bove asked was drowned out by objections from Bragg’s team. Earlier in the day, Costello was shaking his head, frowning, or loudly replying “jeez” after prosecutors objected to the defense’s line of questioning.

Costello closed his testimony with a story about how Cohen was nearly “suicidal” after FBI agents raided his own shortly before he was charged.

“He was suicidal that day and acting very manic,” Costello recalled. “I explained to Michael Cohen that this entire legal problem he was facing would be resolved by the end of the week if he had truthful information on Donald Trump and cooperated with the Southern District of New York.”

Costello told jurors that Cohen told him, “I swear to God, Bob, I don’t have anything on Donald Trump.” As he finished that sentence, the lawyer blinked twice and looked straight at Bove with a blank look on his face.

“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,” Costello testified.

Trump’s team believes Costello is the key to casting doubt on Cohen, a star witness but serial liar and thief who prosecutors are pinning their hopes on for a conviction. Jurors are expected to begin deliberations as soon as this week once closing arguments are made.

URGENT POLL: Should Pelosi Be BANNED From Trading Stocks?