Fireworks were on display in the the Trump trial today. The star prosecution witness appears to have lied, admitted he stole from Trump, and at one point the judge cleared the courtroom over a defense witness testimony. 
Trump Trial Updates
The best synopsis I can find comes from ABC Live Updates, best read bottom up. If you wish to read the whole thing, scroll to the end, then read the headline sections in reverse order.
Here are a few of the most important clips
Cohen admits he stole money from Trump organization
Michael Cohen on Monday admitted that he stole from Donald Trump’s company when he pocketed tens of thousands of dollars that was earmarked as a reimbursement for money he said he shelled out to a technology firm.
Defense lawyer Todd Blanche noted that despite Cohen’s guilty pleas in 2018 to federal charges including a campaign finance violation for the hush money payment and unrelated tax evasion and bank fraud crimes, he’d never been charged with stealing from Trump’s company.
“Have you paid back the Trump Organization the money you stole from them?”
“No, sir,” Cohen responded.
Costello testifies Cohen told him he had nothing on Trump, knew nothing of Daniels payment
Defense witness Robert Costello, who for a time was Michael Cohen’s attorney, introduced details of his first meeting with Cohen, saying they first met at the Regency Hotel in Manhattan on April 17, 2018, with attorney Jeffrey Citron.
Cohen “was absolutely manic” during the first meeting, Costello said. The FBI had just raided his home and office.
“I really want you to explain what my options are. What’s my escape route?” Costello said Cohen told him.
Cohen said, “My life is shattered, my family’s life is shattered,” Costello testified.
Costello said he told Cohen, “This entire legal problem he was facing would be resolved by the end of the week if he had truthful information about Donald Trump and cooperated with the Southern District of New York.”
Costello said that Cohen on multiple occasions said, “I swear to god Bob, I don’t have anything on Donald Trump.”
Merchan briefly closes courtroom, forcing reporters into hallway
Judge Juan M. Merchan on Monday afternoon briefly closed the courtroom where Donald Trump’s criminal trial is being held, forcing reporters into the hallway after he admonished witness Robert Costello for his behavior.
Costello aggravated Merchan repeatedly in his testimony by making comments under his breath and continuing to speak after objections were sustained – a signal to witnesses to stop talking.
At one point, frustrated as he was again cut off by a sustained objection, Costello remarked, “Jeez.”
“I’m sorry? I’m sorry?” a peeved Merchan asked.
“Strike it, I’m -.” Costello replied, cutting himself off.
At another point, he called the whole exercise, “ridiculous.”
After excusing the jury, Merchan told the witness: “Mr. Costello, I want to discuss proper decorum in my courtroom. When there’s a witness on the stand, if you don’t like my ruling, you don’t say ‘jeez’… You don’t give me side eye and you don’t roll your eyes.”
“Are you staring me down right now? Clear the courtroom, right now. Clear the courtroom,” the judge said.
For several minutes, there were no reporters in the courtroom or video access to the proceedings in the overflow room.
Defense moves for dismissal of case, judge says he’ll reserve his decision
The defense made a motion for the dismissal of the case, with defense attorney Todd Blanche telling Judge Merchan, “There’s absolutely no evidence the filings were false, the business records were false.”
When the invoices for Cohen’s payment were sent to the Trump Organization there’s no evidence they were entered improperly, Blanche said. “At the start, there is absolutely no false business filings. They’re accurate business filings,” he said.
“There’s no evidence that there’s any intent to defraud by Mr. Trump in connection to these filings,” Blanche argued.
“There are no other crimes,” defense attorney Todd Blanche argued about the legal standard in the case — that Trump falsified business records in furtherance of another crime. “There is no evidence that any one was thinking about a campaign finance charge in 2016 when this payment was made to Ms. Daniels.”
“There is no way that the court should let this case go to jury relying on Mr. Cohen’s testimony,” Blanche said “Without Mr. Cohen, there is no case.”
Judge Merchan asked if Blanche was calling for him to rule that Cohen’s testimony is “not credible as a matter of law.”
“Absolutely, that’s exactly what we’re calling on the court to do,” Blanche replied. “He testified, and he lied under oath — in this courtroom.”
Judge Merchan said he will reserve his decision on the motion.
Court was then concluded for the day.
Tweet Threads
“Prosecutors admit they had a man admitting to a major larceny but never charged Cohen.”
New Approach to Running for Congress
Day of Infamy
“They haven’t thus far stated the elements of any crime”
Fireworks
Farce From the Beginning
Wow
What little, if any, credibility the star witness had, went out the window today.
This trial was a farce from the beginning. That’s what happens when you pick your target first, then hope to find a crime.
This case should be dismissed. And if it is, Trump will come out much stronger from it.
Looks like Trump’s lawyers admitted they found many classified documents in his bedroom even after the Feds seized the stuff in the basement. I guess his lawyers didn’t want to risk themselves on the federal case. Trump isn’t out of the woods imo.
Costello is lucky he is not in jail.
You don’t poke the judge.
A friend of mine did in a civil case and he was immediately sent to jail for 9 months. They gave him one phone call to his wife before they hauled him off.
Your friend obviously did a lot more than you claim, and you watch too many TV law fantasy programs.
Judges cannot lock someone away merely for upsetting the judge or violating imaginary “decorum”. There are laws and procedures the judge must obey to remain on the bench. As long as a witness stays on this side of those laws, all the judge can do is throw temper tantrums.
Costello is a lawyer, and knows where the line is. The left wing judge went all emotional, because he is realizing the third world case against a political opponent is just that.
Something good will come of this. Judge Engoron can be a better Joker character then Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix combined.
This farce looks even more ridiculous than the courtroom scene in “Idiocracy”.
After excusing the jury, Merchan told the witness: “Mr. Costello, I want to discuss proper decorum in my courtroom.”
What is the proper decorum for a Kangeroo Court?
Ah the “Sulky Teenager” gambit. It’s a bold move Cotton, let’s see if it pays off.
Isn’t there a statue of limitations that preclude this case from being tryed? I never hear this being discusssed.
That’s because the information has been suppressed by the lizard people. It’s unfindable on the internet, and chat gpt will report you to the authorities if you ask it. You are one of the last keepers of this secret.
lol
Merchan’s conduct borders on the absurd but yesterday he jumped the shark. Deniro in Taxi Driver. “You looking at me? You looking at me?!?!” No side eye, no stares. What is this, Wild Kingdom? Or the Dems are throwing in the towel and trying to let this whole farce collapse in on itself because Trump looks like he will be back in the WH.
Hatchet-man Merchan is pissed. He is not going to be the instrument for taking down Trump.
Either he already knew Cohen had stolen from Trump, did not expect for that to get revealed or he got Blindsided by Braggs’ ongoing incompetence.
He has totally lost control in his courtroom.
First with Daniels and now with Cohen. The man is a complete FOOL.
Judges crave respect otherwise there is no reason to play the wiseman and sit in judgement upon other people.
This case has turned into a career body blow for Hatchet-man merchan..
Merchan is mad at Costello, not because he showed up Cohen or Bragg but because he directly exposes Merchan in his courtroom.
In my opinion, it exposes another flaw in our system, there is no means of accountability for the judge proceeding with this wrongful trial. This case is obviously targeting a man for the sole purpose of keeping him off the ballot in any way possible to first preserve power for democrats and the grifting ways of politicians. Second the perpetrators are concerned the wheels of justice will be turned against them and applied fairly.
January 20, 2025 cannot get here soon enough. Trump’s second term, the revenge term is going to be insane.
“Revenge term” lol.
We laughed at the fat, stupid, incontinent kid, and now he’s gonna get us!
The corrupt DA fueled Trump’s popularity. If Judge Blanche dismisses the case, justice is done and Trump might run out of fuel until the Nov election.
It is as if they want Trump to win and have been coming up with these absurd cases in order to create the most sympathy for him. However I don’t know who “they” would be so I have to discount it and put it down to Democrat stupidity and their general incompetence.
Maybe pick a set of three letters for them. Maybe.
The ho and the schmoe. What a country.
It’s sad. Trump seems to attract scumbag lawyers from Cohen to Giuliani to Costello like stench attracts flies. And this is supposed to be a US presidential candidate. Poor country of ours.
I submit that atty. Robert Costello is a very fine & supremely skilled lawyer. If I were in any kind of legal trouble I’d want him to represent me.
OK, and what about Giuliani and Cohen, two other “very fine” Trump lawyers?
it’s almost as if Trump was surrounded by smaller scumbags
and no one other than such creeps are available to testify against the big scumbag
Are you saying you don’t like Trump and voted for the other guy?
or are you accusing Trump of a specific crime?
You seem to have these concepts confused.
Keep in mind, assuming you are human, that roughly half the people who meet you don’t like you and maybe a quarter of them strongly dislike you. That is true of all humans. Should you go to jail?
Enough with your Trump Derangement Syndrome. Get psychiatric help.
I didn’t care when you 3rd world bumpkins were just making dumb comments, but you are trying to destroy the entire legal process in your effort to win an election.
its difficult to tell from the X snippets, but did the prosecution know that Cohen had committed grand larceny (its way above $20K never mind $5K) ???
They didn’t make him repay the stolen money, they didn’t even charge him and dismiss the charges for “cooperating” (which itself would be a bit shaky on ethical grounds) – and yet based on the snippets prosecution seem to have known about the grand larceny? Is that the case or is it just coming across weird in the snippets?
If prosecution knew Cohen had stolen funds, why didn’t they charge him? Why didn’t they make him return the stolen property? If true, this would suggest prosecutorial misconduct, and Bragg will get disbarred in NY before facing federal election interference charges. And the case against Trump would get dismissed.
If the prosecution didn’t know, it means they didn’t properly vet their star witness. That would make it nearly impossible for the judge not to dismiss the case. Prosecution failed to establish a crime was committed at all, and their best witness lied to them and they failed to catch it.
Either way, it puts the judge in a tough spot. He behaves rather biased against Trump, and the judge has created several avenues for appeal if there is an adverse ruling. But allowing the case to continue after the prosecution’s star witness is shown to have committed crimes for which he wasn’t charged… the judge himself could be in legal jeopardy.
Its funny the other witness (cohen’s attorney Costello) got the judge all rattled. Being an attorney, Costello would know what actions are lawful, what actions are mere “proper decorum”, and what actions are actually illegal — and seemed like he went right up to the line but was careful not to cross it.
The judge made an emotional outburst, but he is already very biased and it would be difficult for the court to behave even more biased without putting itself in legal jeopardy.
The whole case is 3rd world nonsense, and the judge must know that everyone in the country is looking at him like he is a banana republic clown. How does the judge back himself away from the cliff, and leave DA Bragg to take the blame alone?
It’s easy for the judge to back out of this mess. Just dismiss the case with prejudice and make a strong statement from the bench castigating the prosecutors case as lawfare and without merit. Sure he will be sent to Coventry by fellow lefties but the alternative is facing disbarment at best but also the risk of criminal charges and bankruptcy in legal costs if a re-elected Trump applies lawfare to anyone involved in the lawfare against Trump.
The judge lives and works in a very Trump hating left wing locale. His family, his friends, his neighbors are mostly left leaning Trump haters. The judge has to live with them and the resulting social isolation long after this case fades from the headlines. The judge doesn’t want to be “that guy that let Trump off the hook”, he wants DA Bragg to wear that label instead.
If this was just a question of law, the case would have been thrown out long ago (or never filed). It was always a third world insult.
Abusing the courts to eliminate political opponents is not something a first world government does, ever. There will be a reckoning for that too, even if Trump doesn’t get elected. The nation is going to blame DA Bragg, the DA in Georgia and Merrick Garland (Jack Smith) for certain. The judges don’t want to be held accountable as well.
The Bragg effect is the mathematical operation of incompetence times inexperience times embarrassment.
Is this worse than the “Process Crimes” used to take down General Flynn that were engineered off oppo research Steele Dossier lies that were converted to classified information to justify Crossfire Hurricane and secret warrants, wiretaps, etc.? This almost unimaginable Banana Republic bovine excrement continues at full speed thanks to marxists who uphold authoritarianism instead of the Constitution.
Project Much??
The only Bovine Excrement is a Big Orange Turd that Makes up lies in front of everyone. Time for him to go away for a good while.
David Hogg is that you again?
Marxist Democrats are projecting.
Are you having a stroke?
No. I didn’t get boosted. But I know several co-workers who did off the clot shot. Dark times are upon us….
Don’t blame this witch-hunt on us Marxists, we have the same opinion of it as you.
https://themilitant.com/2024/05/18/judge-makes-a-mockery-of-the-constitution-in-ny-trump-trial/
The right to a fair trial and free speech were dealt serious blows by Judge Juan Merchan as part of the prosecution of presidential candidate Donald Trump initiated by New York City District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat. Bragg ran on a platform of being the best candidate to get Trump.
Merchan allowed the prosecution to introduce hour after hour of irrelevant and lurid testimony May 7 and 9 from pornography film actress and director Stephanie Clifford. She described an alleged 2006 tryst she had with the former president. The charges Trump faces — falsifying business records — have nothing to do with her testimony.
Merchan has imposed a gag order on Trump that bars him from responding publicly to Clifford.
Clifford insisted in court that she be identified as “Stormy Daniels,” her stage name. Under cross-examination she admitted to a long history of using her short-lived relationship with Trump to gouge out as much self-serving publicity and income as possible.
Clifford was put on the stand for one reason only, to prejudice the jury and boost Democrats’ efforts to get their main rival for the White House thrown in jail.
Seeking to make good on his campaign promises, Bragg cooked up the charges based on Trump recording reimbursements to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, as legal payments. Cohen paid Clifford as part of a nondisclosure agreement that she had requested and signed. She earned $130,000 for staying quiet about the sexual encounter she says she had with Trump. Trump says the hookup never happened and he arranged the payoff to protect the privacy of his family.
Bragg charges that Trump’s recording of the payments to Cohen as a legal cost is somehow illegal, claiming they were made to influence the 2016 election.
Trump lawyer Susan Necheles asked Merchan to prevent Clifford’s testimony about the sex as “unduly prejudicial.” Merchan overruled Necheles, backing the prosecution’s argument it was needed to establish Clifford’s “credibility.”
But questions about Clifford’s reliability, as well as her explicit story of the alleged encounter, were immaterial. Neither the nondisclosure agreement she signed, nor the payment she sought are being contested in the trial. Nor are Trump’s efforts to try to prevent other gossip about himself from being published during the 2016 election campaign.
When Necheles asked Clifford what she knew about the charges that Trump committed a crime related to his business records, she admitted, “I know nothing about his business records. No, why would I?”
Because of the irrelevant, prejudicial character of the testimony, defense lawyers urged the judge to declare a mistrial. He refused.
As a child I watched the Clinton saga after school. The entire thing was a waste of time. He had sex with a skank in the WH and lied about it. So what. It ended up making him stronger, far beyond what anyone could have imagined.
Same with Trump. How nobody learned from the above historical lesson I do not know but it happened again. He is far far stronger for it. Best thing that could have happened to him. Absolutely the best. Democrats lost scores of black voters for one. They are going to pay in full for it come NOV to. Can’t do that stuff. Americans do not like it. Works in other banana republics but not this one.
Nonsense. The Angry Orange loser has been corrupt his entire career, well before he got into politics. Time for him to join the Traitors in the clink over Jan 6th. He can be their Choir Director.
Don’t don’t too many losers that are billionaires. You must have more money than Trump.
I agree. Men at the top of the hierarchy have always had plenty of women outside of thier wives. The king had his queen, but he also had a concubine or two or three in waiting 24/7. I operate under the assumption that all of them are screwing women on the side, and it isn’t any of my business.
Unlike Trump, Bill Clinton had the mainstream media backing and worshiping him.
Third world circus.
And an Angry Orange Clown is the biggest joker of all.
I lived for years in the 3rd world. It was never this bad. At no point during a year in Belize was this level of unadulterated clownishness observed. All pretense of dignity has fallen by the wayside. How is it possible we are tiered below banana republics.
I for one, cannot believe it’s real?
Has it occurred to anyone that it’s just a script and you’re the audience.
That the point of it all, is to agitate and polarize the plebs into alternating fits of seething anger and withering castration.
You realize of course it could be done, that this is not an impossibility and there are excellent reasons to keep us barking at one another like the dogs across the street.
You see while we bark at each other, the giant Anaconda tightens its coils around your rights squeezing and squeezing, but you’re so distracted you don’t notice your rights are gasping and suffocating while the coils squeeze ever tighter.
Trump re-uped the Patriot act – he’s not your friend.
Almost all of history is fake, many historical events didn’t happen or happen when they were said to happen. Galileo said history was mostly fake, even back then. Even recent history can have two diametrically opposed narratives, like 9/11. If you think 911 is fake, the pandemic was fake but the political theatre that strains our credulity, could never be fake? Think again.
History is Fake: The whole world was mapped and known before 2500 BC, Columbus did not discover shit, 6 million jews did not die in the holocaust, Dead Sea scrolls are fakes, Khazarian Jews have no Semitic blood, US knew the Japanese were going to attack Pearl Harbor, some native American’s and Easter Islander’s had written language, Jesus never existed, the Jew’s did not kill Jesus (sorry) Celtics Europeans had colonies in North America during the bronze age. Roman galleons filled with Amphora were found in Brazil and Venezuela, Bronze Age Europeans mined copper in Michigan and brought it down the Mississippi. Africans were forging iron all over Africa in 3000 BC, 2000 years before Europe. Plato, Socrates, Pythgoras and the rest of the heralds for western elitism all studied in Egypt for decades. Some Mayan tribes can communicate with native Japanese in their languages, some native Japanese can read some Mayan Kanji, the Mandan Indians had blue eyes. The native Americans in Puget Sound had seen so many foreign sailing ships by the time Vancouver’s ship arrived that when Vancouver stopped at Restoration point in WA, that natives didn’t even both to stand up from where they were sitting next to their fire. I could go one for an hour.
Its fake
The riveting political theatre you’re convinced is real.
It’s fake
You’re being played.
Armchair analysts dissect the details; blah blah this – blah blah that.
In every pot a “Q” “a Cohen” – “a diabolical prosecutor” an “Alzheimer president”
Arghhhh
Were winning.
Oh no we’re losing.
Now were winning.
Linear political momentum has been crucified for good reason. Voting doesn’t matter anymore. Heads you lose / Tails you lose.
I can’t believe Mish quoted you but maybe he didn’t but it was only reported that he did.
You could teach an advanced history course at Trump University (but be careful, Trump may not pay you). .
The AI in the basement of the RAND Corp is calling the shots.Only half joking.
Where’s the surprise…
the rule of law was Officially declared dead in July 2016, and half the citizenry cheered.
The Democrats continue to produce clown show after clown show trials. If Biden was any kind of a prez he would have given Trump a blanket pardon and said we can’t have a former president indicted on a bunch of relatively minor crimes, it would reflect badly on our nation and more importantly, let’s let the voters decide. Novel concept huh?
Instead we have a weak prez trying to emulate Putin or Xi which is most definitely not what this country has been about
I think you have it ass backwards. Trump is the one that wants to emulate Putin and Xi. He has said Putin and Xi are great.
The voters will decide. And Trump is not out of the woods. No president should pardon anyone. Giving the president the power to pardon was the biggest mistake ever for a system that supposedly relies on justice.
Putin has endorsed Biden for President. He knows a fellow dictator when he sees one. Putin didn’t dare invade Ukraine when Trump was President. But when Biden stole the election, Putin came to Washington, met Biden and saw what a weak, pathetic, woke life form he is.
Quit lying to yourself. Nobody believes that BS projection from the fans of the Angry Orange Mussolini Wannabe. Dumbarse talking about a THIRD Term …the insanity never stops.
He’s Putin’s fat little poodle. His hair is mangey, and he poops on the rug, but Putin loves him anyway.
This is a state crime trial.
Presidents can only pardon Federal crimes.
That I did not know, I assumed the Federal authority took precedence over state and local. So the Feds would first have had to charge then Biden could have pardoned or made a public statement recommending against prosecution and said let’s let the voters decide
Why would you assume that?
That is the weird part. He is charged at the state level over something allegedly done to interfere with federal election outcomes. Shouldn’t this be a federal case if it has substance?
And yes the smartest move for Biden would be to arrange a pardon before the trial is over, even if not by him but by the NY governor. That way they avoid the likelihood of a Not Guilty verdict that will cheer in the Team Trump supporters.
The Feds saw there was no there there.
And Biden would look good for doing it.
Diligent genius, Biden doesn’t have the authority to pardon in this case. Pay attention.
Cut the baloney. The trump suck-ups trying to project the crimes of their Angry Orange Mussolini Wannabe onto other people is hilarious. He’s a lying sack o’ you know what and he can’t stop lying to save himself.