Donald Trump Hush Money Trial: Prosecutors Rest Their Case After Fiery Michael Cohen Cross-Examination

By Rick Martin May 21 2024, 00:32 AM EDT

The latest day of the Donald Trump hush money trial has ended, and as many expected, the former president's lawyers tried to have the case thrown out once again after the defense cross-examined star witness Michael Cohen and prosecutors rested their case.

Judge Juan Merchan did not rule on that request yet, though the request came after a heated exchange between Cohen and Trump's defense attorneys, which resulted in Cohen admitting to stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the Trump Organization.

The trial itself will resume Tuesday with more testimony from Robert Costello, a former federal prosecutor as the defense sought to discredit Cohen and this led lead defense attorney Todd Blanche to ask Judge Merchan to "not let this case go to the jury relying on Mr. Cohen's testimony" and dismiss it.

However, the Associated Press noted that the judge was unmoved by this latest move to dismiss by the Trump legal team and asked Blanche if he believed that "as a matter of law, this person's so not worthy of belief that it shouldn't even be considered by the jury?"

"You said his lies are irrefutable," continued Judge Merchan. "But you think he's going to fool 12 New Yorkers into believing this lie?"

While the case is often called the "Donald Trump porn star hush money trial," the trial is more about Trump falsifying business records and breaking campaign finance laws, as the former president stands accused of purposefully paying Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about their affair using nefarious means while also hiding that very affair from the public so he could court conservative voters.

Donald Trump Defense Witness Irritates Judge, Gets Warned

After the prosecution rested its case, the defense called on its first witness, former prosecutor Robert Costello, the former prosecutor who has ties to Trump and almost represented Michae Cohen in his federal case.

Costello testified that Cohen to cooperate with federal prosecutors in that case before claiming that Cohen allegedly told him that Trump "knew nothing" about the hush-money payments. However, the former prosecutor's antics soon became disrespectful towards the judge.

According to The Guardian, Costello's testimony turned chaotic, with Judge Merchan reprimanding him for disrespectful behavior such as muttering under his breath "ridiculous" and "jeez" and sighing loudly when the judge sustained the prosecution's objections.

The judge became so irritated that he excused the jury briefly before telling the witness off, saying, "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."

Prosecution Rests Case During the Donald Trump Hush Money Trial

The Monday court day also saw prosecutors resting their case, which hinges on former Donald Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen. Prosecutors are already aware that Cohen would not be a credible witness alone, so they added several witnesses to corroborate Cohen's testimony, including former Trump aide Hope Hicks and former Trump friend David Pecker, as well as Stormy Daniels herself.

According to CNN, prosecutors also introduced a host of evidence, such as Trump leaving a paper trail in his illegal hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. While the defense tried to discredit Cohen as a star witness, his testimony is still backed by official paperwork from the Trump Organization and testimonies from former members of the former president's inner circle.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Prosecution rests in Donald Trump's New York "hush money" trial - CBS New York