U.S. News

Chaos in the courtroom of former President Donald Trump's criminal hush money case could provide prosecutors with ample grounds to demand a new trial if the jury deadlocks, former acting solicitor general Neal Katyal told MSNBC's Ari Melber on Monday.

Robert Costello, the former legal adviser to Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen, took the stand to discredit his former client. But his testimony was derailed when Justice Juan Merchan felt compelled to clear the court and address Costello's questionable witness box antics.

A key witness for former President Donald Trump in his criminal hush money trial Monday stuck out his tongue and blew raspberries when faced with rulings from the judge overseeing the case, according to a new report.

Attorney Robert Costello partook in this gesture more commonly expressed by infants — and which can mimic the sound of flatulence — after a frustrated Justice Juan Merchan sustained several objections from Manhattan District Attorney's office prosecutors, according to a Newsweek report.

Former President Donald Trump engaged in one of his longest angry post-trial rants Monday after a dramatic day in court that saw his defense's witness spur chaos in the courtroom.

Trump appeared enraged that Robert Costello, the one-time legal adviser to Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen, faced repercussions for antagonizing Justice Juan Merchan by rolling his eyes and muttering in the witness's box.

New York criminal court Justice Juan Merchan's chaos-spurring decision to clear his courtroom so he could chastise an eye-rolling defense witness almost immediately triggered former President Donald Trump's MAGA supporters.

Former Trump White House senior advisor Stephen Miller took to X Monday afternoon to bemoan the plight of the former President and to claim Merchan's order was proof of corruption.

Legal and political analysts agreed that the meltdown sparked by a witness called by Donald Trump's defense team Monday could not have left a good impression with the jury.

Michael Cohen's former lawyer, Robert Costello, was brought up to testify for the defense in an effort to reveal what Cohen had told him.

An extremely damning piece of evidence was submitted to the jury in former President Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial last week, but it was missed by the media amid a swell of dramatic courtroom moments, Michael Cohen's former attorney Lanny Davis argued Monday.

Davis, in an editorial for RealClear Politics, argued reporters covering the Manhattan criminal court trial missed a crucial moment Thursday as Trump's attorney Todd Blanche shouted "You lied!" at the former fixer.

Former President Donald Trump's lead attorney asked on Monday that New York Justice Juan Merchan dismiss the criminal hush money case against the former president by pointing the finger at former fixer Michael Cohen, reports from the courtroom show.

Todd Blanche's motion to dismiss was based on three main points linked to a lack of evidence and what he called Cohen's lack of credibility, according to Lawfare's Anna Bower.

Michael Cohen's former attorney Robert Costello's behavior in the courtroom was "unbelievable" and "truly shocking," CNN legal analyst Paula Reid said on Monday.

Justice Juan Merchan took the extreme measure Monday of clearing the courtroom so that he could chastise the defense witness for his behavior on the stand, spurring anchor Jake Tapper to ask Reid, "Have you ever seen anything like this?"

Judge Juan Merchan cleared his courtroom on Monday as a defense witness' behavior sent Donald Trump's hush money trial into chaos.

The former attorney of the prosecution's star witness Michael Cohen was one of the first up to answer questions from the defense team. Trump is on trial for falsifying business records to cover up a hush money deal for an alleged affair.

High drama unfolded Monday in Donald Trump's criminal case as prosecutors asked to have a C-SPAN video admitted into evidence that they said would prove a key piece of Michael Cohen's testimony.

Cohen testified last week that he spoke to Trump's security guard, Keith Schiller, on Oct. 24 about the status of the hush money payment to actress and director Stormy Daniels and that Schiller put Trump on the line.

Criminal defense attorney Danny Cevallos said on Monday that Donald Trump's lawyer, Todd Blanche, has been asking questions that may be hurting his own client's defense.

During an appearance on MSNBC, Cevallos theorized about reasons why Blanche hasn't been objecting to what he says are leading questions being posed by prosecutors.

Michael Cohen acknowledged on the stand Monday that he stole about $30,000 from his one-time employer, the Trump Organization.

Cohen is currently testifying about his former boss, former President Donald Trump, who is on trial in Manhattan after being charged with creating false business records to cover up a hush money scheme. He has pleaded not guilty.