NEW YORK — Former President Trump’s secret trial briefly descended into chaos on Monday when Judge Juan Merchan admonished a witness for improper decorum after ordering the jury to leave the courtroom, and then also ordered the room to be cleared. released from the press.
As tensions rose, reporters were abruptly told to leave the courtroom, the first time this had happened during the trial when proceedings were still ongoing. They were allowed to return minutes later without explanation.
Minutes earlier, the defense called Robert Costello, a former legal advisor to former Trump fixer Michael Cohen, as a second witness. He is testifying about Cohen’s state of mind when federal investigators closed in on him in 2018.
Before the reporters were ejected, Merchan told jurors to leave the courtroom so he could warn Costello about his behavior in the courtroom. Addressing the lawyer, the judge said he wanted to discuss “proper decorum” in his courtroom.
“When there’s an eyewitness on the stand, if you don’t like a decision, don’t say ‘Wow,’” Merchan said.
“You don’t look at me sideways. You don’t roll your eyes. Do you understand that?” he said later.
Trump’s entourage of allies was allowed to remain in the courtroom.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
