In a different signal that the trial is nearing the end, the prosecution rested just after previous Trump attorney and self-described fixer Michael Cohen took the stand for the past time.
Cohen, in discussing the transactions bordering the hush money payment, explained a discrepancy in resources that prompted Trump’s attorney to request Cohen if he “stole from the Trump Corporation.”
The defense then identified as two witnesses — only to have the choose threaten to strike the remarks of Robert Costello, whose testimony aims to undermine Cohen’s credibility.
Costello was reprimanded by Decide Juan Merchan soon after the jury still left the room, and after the choose took the highly abnormal stage of clearing the press from the courtroom. A court transcript later on showed that the choose termed Costello’s actions “contemptuous.”
Merchan also laid out what’s possible to be the plan for the remainder of the trial. Court is out of session tomorrow, as common, but there also will never be any demo proceedings on Friday or Monday. That implies attorneys on both sides are probably to satisfy on Thursday to explore jury directions, with closing arguments on tap for as early as up coming Tuesday.