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Anderson Cooper 360

Judge Clears Courtroom in Trump Hush Money Trial

Anderson Cooper 360

CNN

News

3.7 • 3.8K Ratings

🗓️ 21 May 2024

⏱️ 45 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

There was high drama and tension in the former president's hush money trial on Monday. At one point, Judge Juan Merchan admonished defense witness Robert Costello. According to the court transcript, the judge told Costello “if you try to stare me down one more time, I will remove you from the stand."  New York Times' senior political correspondent Maggie Haberman and former chief judge of the U.S. Middle District Court of Pennsylvania John E. Jones III join AC360 to break down today’s proceedings. Plus, Anderson speaks with television host Bill Maher about his new book "What This Comedian Said Will Shock You" and the current state of play for American politics.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Tonight on three

0:03.5

three six order in the court as the judge in the former president's

0:06.5

hush money trial criticizes a defense witness for breaking the rules

0:09.7

of decor. Also breaking news on the helicopter crash to kill Iran's president and eight

0:14.6

others will have the latest on the investigation and what it means for Iran and the

0:18.0

world. And later one-on-one with comedian Bill Maher talking Trump, Biden, what he thinks is wrong with American

0:24.0

politics and culture. Good evening there was drama today in the Trump-Hushmoney

0:28.8

trial the likes of which we have not seen in the more than five weeks of proceedings.

0:33.6

No sooner if the prosecution rested,

0:35.4

the defense called another witness,

0:36.8

and the Judge Mershaun cleared the courtroom.

0:39.4

A rare act after the judge cited that witness,

0:41.8

attorney Robert Costello, for improper courtroom behavior

0:45.2

that included rolling his eyes on an audible sigh.

0:48.0

At one point, Mershaun said to Costello,

0:50.1

quote, if you try to stare me down one more time, I will remove you from the stand.

0:55.3

Not something the defense likely wanted to see or hear is the whole purpose of calling

0:59.0

Costello, who had once given legal advice, the prosecution star witness Michael Cohen was for him to

1:04.3

undercut Cohen's credibility. The defense later asked Judge Mershon to dismiss all

1:08.7

charges over Cohen's credibility issues. The judge would only say he's reserving his decision.

1:14.0

Trump's one-time fixer, an attorney spent more than 17 hours over four days on the stand.

1:18.8

Today, the defense got common to admit he stole from the Trump organization for an unrelated expense that was

...

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