Lawrence: Trump lawyers put an uncouth buffoon on the stand to defend an uncouth buffoon

MORE IMPORTANT WAY TONIGHT THAN

BEFORE.

>> AND IMPORTANT QUESTIONS I AM

SURE THEY WILL HAVE THOUGHTS ON

THAT THE JUDGE WILL HAVE TO

ANSWER IN THE COMING DAYS.

HAVE A GOOD SHOW.

>>> WELL, AT 10:11 A.M.

TODAY DONALD TRUMP'S LEAD

CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER TODD

BLANCHE STOOD AND SAID, YOUR

HONOR, THE DEFENSE RESTS.

THE TRUTH WAS, THERE WAS NO

DEFENSE.

THE TEAM OF HIGH-PRICED TRUMP

DEFENSE LAWYERS ARE ACTUALLY

PAID BY THE DELUDED PEOPLE WHO

SEND IN CONTRIBUTIONS IN

RESPONSE TO DONALD TRUMP'S

RELENTLESS BEGGING FOR MONEY

FROM PEOPLE HE PROMISED HE

WOULD NEVER ASK FOR MONEY.

WHEN DONALD TRUMP BEGAN HIS

FIRST PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN HIS

MAJOR SELLING POINT TO VOTERS

WAS HE WAS SO RICH YOU COULD

PAY FOR HIS OWN CAMPAIGN AND

THEREFORE WAS INCORRUPTIBLE AND

WOULD NEVER ASK THEM OR ANYONE

ELSE FOR MONEY.

THEN DONALD TRUMP PROCEEDED TO

NEVER SPEND A PENNY OF HIS OWN

MONEY ON HIS PRESIDENTIAL

CAMPAIGN.

HE LOANED HIS FIRST

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN SOME

MONEY AT THE BEGINNING, BUT OF

COURSE THE CAMPAIGN PAID HIM

BACK THROUGH THE DONATIONS OF

THOSE POOR, DELUDED PEOPLE WHO

SEND MONEY TO A LIAR WHO

PROMISED HE WOULD NEVER ASK FOR

MONEY AND NOW THEIR MONEY HAS

GONE TO A HIGH-PRICED LEGAL

TEAM WHO COULD NOT COME UP WITH

ANY DEFENSE AT ALL IN DONALD

TRUMP'S FIRST CRIMINAL TRIAL.

THEY CAME UP WITH CONFLICTING

DEFENSE THEORIES THAT THEY

OFFERED IN CROSS-EXAMINATION

QUESTIONS OF SOME OF THE

WITNESSES WHO TESTIFIED FOR THE

PROSECUTION, BUT AN ACTUAL

DEFENSE IN A CRIMINAL CASE IS

NOT MEASURED BY QUESTIONS

DEFENSE LAWYERS ASK IN CROSS-

EXAMINATION.

THOSE QUESTIONS ARE NOT

EVIDENCE.

NEXT WEEK WHEN JUDGE MERCHAN IS

INSTRUCTING THE JURY, HE WILL

TELL THEM THAT LAWYERS

QUESTIONS ARE NOT EVIDENCE.

WITNESSES ANSWERS ARE EVIDENCE.

AND SO THE TRUMP DEFENSE

PRESENTED NO EVIDENCE.

NONE.

IN DEFENSE OF DONALD TRUMP

AGAINST THE CRIMES HE IS

CHARGED WITH.

NONE, NO DEFENSE.

THE FIRST WITNESS THEY CALLED

WAS A TECHNICAL WITNESS WHO DID

NOT ADD ANY EVIDENCE OR

INFORMATION TO THE CASE

WHATSOEVER.

A YOUNG, PARALEGAL ASSISTANT

WHO WORKS FOR THE TRUMP DEFENSE

TEAM WHO HAD CREATED A

SPREADSHEET OF A LIST OF PHONE

CALLS.

THAT WAS IT.

HIS TESTIMONY TOOK ONLY A FEW

MINUTES AND THE DOCUMENT HE

CREATED WAS ACCEPTED AS AN

EXHIBIT IN THE CASE AND THAT

WAS THAT.

AND THEN YESTERDAY THE TRUMP

LAWYERS, POSSIBLY AT THE

INSISTENCE OF DONALD TRUMP,

MADE WHAT EVERY FAIR-MINDED

OBSERVER OF THE TRIAL HAS CALLED

THE GROTESQUE MISTAKE OF CALLING

CRIMINAL LAWYER ROBERT COSTELLO,

WHOSE CHIEF CURRENCY AS A

CRIMINAL LAWYER, JUDGING BY HIS

EMAILS EXPOSED IN THIS TRIAL,

IS THAT HE IS A CLOSE FRIEND OF

THE DERANGED RUDY GIULIANI.

RUDY GIULIANI WAS ROBERT

COSTELLO'S BOSS IN THE 1980S

WHEN GIULIANI WAS THE MANHATTAN

U.S. ATTORNEY AND COSTELLO WAS

A FEDERAL PROSECUTOR WORKING

FOR GIULIANI.

HIS TURN UNDER OATH YESTERDAY

WAS THE WITNESS STAND

EQUIVALENT OF DRUNK DRIVING.

AT THIS HOUR LAST NIGHT I READ

YOU THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF WHAT

JUDGE MERCHAN DID WHEN ROBERT

COSTELLO DECIDED TO VOCALLY

DISAGREE WITH THE JUDGE'S

RULING ON OBJECTIONS WHILE HE

WAS SITTING ON THE WITNESS

STAND.

THE TRANSCRIPT ENTRY THAT WE,

IN THE COURTROOM ALL HEARD,

SHOWS ROBERT COSTELLO SAYING --

THE CHOSEN SPELLING BY THE COURT

REPORTER.

THAT IS WHAT WE HEARD.

I COULD HEAR IT IN THE LAST ROW

OF THE COURTROOM YESTERDAY AND

NONE OF US IN THE COURTROOM HAD

EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT OR

HEARD ANYTHING LIKE THAT,

ESPECIALLY FROM A WITNESS WHO

IS A LAWYER AND SHOULD KNOW

BETTER, MUCH BETTER.

JUDGE MERCHAN WAS SHOCKED.

HE LEANED FORWARD.

HE ASKED COSTELLO TO REPEAT

HIMSELF, TO WHICH COSTELLO

SAID STRIKE IT, WHICH IS LAWYER

TALK FOR NEVERMIND WHAT I JUST

SAID.

THEN AS WE FOUND OUT LATER THE

JUDGE SAW COSTELLO CONTINUE TO

SIGNIFY HIS IRRITATION WITH AND

DISRESPECT FOR THE JUDGE IN

WAYS THAT WE COULD NOT QUITE

SEE FROM THE AUDIENCE AND THE

JUDGE ORDERED THE COURTROOM

CLEARED SO HE COULD TALK ABOUT

IT DIRECTLY TO COSTELLO.

CLEAR THE COURTROOM.

WORDS NO ONE IN THAT COURTROOM

HAD EVER HEARD BEFORE, BEFORE

THE JUDGE SAID THAT, INCLUDING

THE COURT OFFICERS.

THEY HAD NEVER HAD TO DO THAT

BEFORE.

WITH EVERYONE OUT OF THE

COURTROOM WE LEARNED LATER IN

THE TRANSCRIPT THAT WAS KEPT OF

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN WE WERE OUT

OF THE COURTROOM, JUDGE MERCHAN

SAID TO COSTELLO, SIR, YOUR

CONDUCT IS CONTEMPTUOUS RIGHT

NOW.

I AM PUTTING YOU ON NOTICE THAT

YOUR CONDUCT IS CONTEMPTUOUS.

IF YOU TRY TO STEER ME DOWN ONE

MORE TIME I WILL REMOVE YOU

FROM THE STAND AND STRIKE THE

ENTIRE TESTIMONY, DO YOU

UNDERSTAND ME?

MR. BOVE, YES JUDGE, I

UNDERSTAND.

WHEN HE SAID YES I UNDERSTAND,

HE AND THE REST OF THE LEGAL

TEAM ALSO FULLY UNDERSTOOD WHAT

A CATASTROPHIC MISTAKE IT WAS

TO PUT AN UNCOUTH BUFFOON ON

THE WITNESS STAND AS A DEFENSE

WITNESS FOR AN UNCOUTH BUFFOON.

AT 9:29 A.M.

TODAY, ROBERT COSTELLO, THE RED-

FACED, WHITE-HAIRED 76-YEAR-OLD

CRIMINAL LAWYER ENTERED THE

COURTROOM AGAIN TO RESUME CROSS-

EXAMINATION BY ASSISTANT

DISTRICT ATTORNEY SUSAN

HOFFINGER, WHO THE DAY BEFORE

COSTELLO HAD INSULTED BY

TELLING HER TO SPEAK INTO THE

MICROPHONE.

ORDERING HER TO SPEAK INTO THE

MICROPHONE, WHEN SHE WAS

ALREADY SPEAKING INTO THE

MICROPHONE AND EVERYONE IN THE

COURTROOM COULD HEAR HER.

THAT WAS A MOMENT THAT NO DOUBT

HELPED EXPOSE MORE OF THE UGLY

ESSENCE OF ROBERT COSTELLO TO

THE JURY OF SEVEN MEN AND FIVE

WOMEN.

WHEN THE JURY ENTERED THE

COURTROOM THREE MINUTES AFTER

THE WITNESS THIS MORNING, THE

COMMUNITY OF THE COURTROOM THAT

THE JURY HAD COME TO KNOW SO

WELL HAD CHANGED DRAMATICALLY.

THE PRESENCE OF ARMED COURT

OFFICERS WHO HAVE BEEN THE MOST

COURTEOUS AND HELPFUL GUIDES TO

ALL OF US, TAKING OUR PLACES IN

THAT COURTROOM EVERY DAY, HAD

MORE THAN DOUBLED.

WHERE THERE USED TO BE ONE

COURT OFFICER STANDING IN THE

CENTER AISLE, THERE WERE THREE.

AT THE BACK OF THE ROOM WHERE

THERE USED TO BE TWO, THERE

WERE FOUR.

THERE WERE MORE HIGH-RANKING

OFFICERS IN THE ROOM THAN WE

HAD EVER SEEN AT ONE TIME.

ONE OF THE COURTS

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICIALS WHO

HAD BEEN ESPECIALLY HELPFUL TO

MEMBERS OF THE NEWS MEDIA AND

WHO WAS RARELY IN THE COURTROOM

WAS NOW STANDING IN THE BACK OF

THE COURTROOM OBSERVING

EVERYTHING.

THIS DRAMATIC DEMONSTRATION OF

EXTRA CONTROL OF THE COURTROOM

BY THE COURT OFFICERS WAS

COMPLETELY LOST ON THE DEFENSE

LAWYERS AND DEFENDANT AND

PROSECUTORS, BECAUSE THEY HAD

THEIR BACKS TO THAT PART OF

THEIR ROOM.

THEY WERE FACING FRONT, WHERE

THEY COULD SEE THE JUDGE AND

THE WITNESS AND SOME OF THE

JURY, BUT THE JURY COULD SEE

EVERYTHING IN THAT ROOM.

THE JURY COULD LOOK AND SEE AT

LEAST DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF

THOSE FRIENDLY COURT OFFICERS

WHO THEY HAVE COME TO KNOW.

MORE THAN DOUBLE OF THOSE COURT

OFFICERS THAN THEY HAD EVER

SEEN IN THAT COURTROOM BEFORE

AND THE JURY COULD NOT KNOW

WHY.

THEY HAD BEEN SENT OUT OF THE

ROOM BY THE JUDGE YESTERDAY THE

FIRST TIME THE JUDGE DECIDED

TO, AS HE PUT IT, SPEAK

DIRECTLY TO ROBERT COSTELLO

ABOUT WHAT THE JUDGE CALLED THE

DECORUM IN THE COURTROOM.

IT WAS ONLY WHEN COSTELLO CONTINUED HIS DISRESPECTFUL

CONTINUED HIS DISRESPECTFUL

COURTROOM CONDUCT THAT THE

JUDGE CLEARED THE COURTROOM OF

ALL OF THE REST OF US.

THE REPORTERS, EVERYONE ELSE IN

THE ROOM, AND THE JUDGE HAD A

MORE PRIVATE, ONE-ON-ONE WITH

COSTELLO WHILE THE LAWYERS WERE

STILL PRESENT.

THE JURY COULD NOT KNOW THAT

THIS HUGE, NEW SHOW OF FORCE

AND CONTROL IN THE COURTROOM

THIS MORNING WAS ALL BECAUSE OF

THE CONTEMPTUOUS CONDUCT OF THE

ONLY WITNESS, DONALD TRUMP'S

TEAM BROUGHT INTO THAT COURTROOM

TO OFFER ACTUAL TESTIMONY IN

THIS CASE.

AND HIS TESTIMONY HAD

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH

THE CRIMES DONALD TRUMP IS

CHARGED WITH.

ROBERT COSTELLO WAS ONE OF THE

LAWYERS WHO THE PROSECUTION'S

STAR WITNESS, MICHAEL COHEN,

CONSULTED AFTER THE FBI

EXECUTED SEARCH WARRANTS AT HIS

HOME, THE HOTEL ROOM WHERE HE

WAS TEMPORARILY LIVING, AND HIS

OFFICE.

WHEN MICHAEL COHEN BECAME A

COOPERATING WITNESS AND THE FBI

INVESTIGATION, IT EVENTUALLY

LED TO MICHAEL COHEN PLEADING

GUILTY TO CRIMES, INCLUDING

CRIMES INVOLVING THE PAYOFF TO

STORMY DANIELS, WHICH MICHAEL

COHEN SAID WAS DONE AT THE

DIRECTION OF DONALD TRUMP.

UNDER CROSS-EXAMINATION TODAY

IT BECAME CLEAR THAT ROBERT

COSTELLO WAS EAGER TO BECOME

MICHAEL COHEN'S LAWYER, SO

EAGER THAT HE WROTE AN EMAIL TO

HIS SON BOASTING ABOUT HOW HE

WAS ON THE VERGE OF BECOMING

THE DEFENSE LAWYER FOR, QUOTE,

THE PERSONAL ATTORNEY TO DONALD

J. TRUMP.

HE TOLD HIS SON, QUOTE, I WILL

BE ON THE TEAM.

THE TROUBLE IS, HIS EMAILS

REVEALED THAT THE TEAM WAS

BIGGER THAN MICHAEL COHEN.

IN CROSS-EXAMINATION IT BECAME

CLEAR THAT MICHAEL COHEN WAS

NOT ROBERT COSTELLO'S PRIMARY

INTEREST.

IT IS CUSTOMARY FOR LAWYERS TO

ASK WITNESSES TO READ THEIR OWN

EMAILS ALLOWED AS EVIDENCE.

ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY

SUSAN HOFFINGER TRIED THAT

YESTERDAY ON CROSS-EXAMINATION,

BUT COSTELLO COULD NOT DO IT,

HE COULD NOT READ HIS OWN

EMAILS WITHOUT CONSTANTLY

INSERTING NEW EDITORIAL COMMENT ON HIS OWN EMAILS, SO TODAY

ON HIS OWN EMAILS, SO TODAY

SUSAN HOFFINGER READ THE EMAILS

HERSELF.

CAN YOU PLEASE BLOW UP THE LAST

PARAGRAPH, PLEASE, IN YELLOW?

THEN SHE READ ROBERT COSTELLO'S

EMAIL TO HIS LAW PARTNER.

QUOTE, OUR ISSUE IS TO GET

COHEN ON THE RIGHT PAGE WITHOUT

GIVING HIM THE APPEARANCE THAT

WE ARE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS

FROM GIULIANI OR THE PRESIDENT.

IN MY OPINION THIS IS THE

CLEAR, CORRECT STRATEGY.

THAT IS NOT A STRATEGY TO HELP

MICHAEL COHEN.

YESTERDAY WHEN THE DISTRICT

ATTORNEY ASKED ROBERT COSTELLO

TO INTERPRET ONE OF HIS EMAILS,

COSTELLO'S ANSWER WAS THAT THE

EMAIL, QUOTE, SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.

AND SO TODAY, AFTER READING

THAT EMAIL THAT I JUST READ TO

YOU, DISTRICT ATTORNEY SAID,

QUESTION, AS YOU SAID YESTERDAY,

THE EMAIL SPEAKS FOR ITSELF,

CORRECT?

ANSWER.

SOMETIMES.

AND IT GOT WORSE FOR ROBERT

COSTELLO.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY HOFFINGER

QUOTED ANOTHER EMAIL TO HIS

PARTNER ABOUT MICHAEL COHEN.

THIS IS A QUOTE FROM THE EMAIL.

WHAT SHOULD I SAY?

HE IS PLAYING WITH THE MOST

POWERFUL MAN ON THE PLANET.

NOW THAT EMAIL CERTAINLY SPEAKS

FOR ITSELF, DOES IT NOT, MR.

COSTELLO?

ANSWER, YES IT DOES.

IT IS CLEAR THAT COSTELLO WAS

INTERESTED TO BE NOT ON THE

TEAM OF MICHAEL COHEN, BUT THE

TEAM OF THE MAN WHO COSTELLO

THINKS OF AS THE MOST POWERFUL

MAN ON THE PLANET.

THE MAN SITTING ACROSS THE ROOM

FROM ROBERT COSTELLO IN THE

DEFENDANT'S CHAIR.

ROBERT COSTELLO LEFT THE

WITNESS STAND IN DISGRACE AT

10:11 A.M.

THIS MORNING AFTER 42 MINUTES

ON THE WITNESS STAND THIS

MORNING, ESTABLISHING

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

FOR DONALD TRUMP'S DEFENSE

AGAINST THE CRIMINAL CHARGES OF

FALSIFYING NEW YORK BUSINESS

RECORDS IN ORDER TO ILLEGALLY

HELP HIS 2016 PRESIDENTIAL

CAMPAIGN.

THE JUDGE THEN EXPLAINED THE

SCHEDULING DILEMMA HE FACED.

HE TOLD THE JURY THAT HE LIKES

TO KEEP THE FINAL ARGUMENTS BY

THE DEFENSE AND PROSECUTION

TOGETHER SO THAT THEY ARE NOT

SEPARATED BY A DAY OR A WEEKEND

AND THAT HE WOULD NEED

ADDITIONAL TIME TO PREPARE HIS

LEGAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE

JURY, SO HE POINTED OUT THAT

BECAUSE THEY WERE ALREADY

SCHEDULED NOT TO MEET WEDNESDAY

OF THIS WEEK, THAT THE EARLIEST

THEY COULD BEGIN THE LAWYERS

SUMMATIONS WITHOUT HAVING TO

BREAK THEM UP WOULD ACTUALLY BE

SOMETIME MAYBE ON THURSDAY OF

THIS WEEKEND THAT MIGHT NOT

ALLOW EVERYTHING TO BE

COMPLETED BEFORE THE MEMORIAL

DAY WEEKEND OR HE WOULD SEND

THE JURY INTO DELIBERATIONS AT

THE END OF THE DAY ON FRIDAY,

SO THE BEST WAY FOR THE JUDGE

TO HANDLE IT, HE DECIDED, WAS

TO SEND THE JURY OFF TODAY INTO

WHAT WILL BECOME MEMORIAL DAY

WEEKEND AND THAT HAPPENED AFTER

THE LAST WITNESS TODAY WHEN

COSTELLO LEFT THE WITNESS

STAND.

THE JUDGE THEN SPENT THE

AFTERNOON CONSIDERING ARGUMENTS

FROM BOTH SIDES ABOUT WHAT

SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE

JUDGE'S INSTRUCTIONS TO THE

JURY THAT WILL PROBABLY BE

DELIVERED NEXT WEDNESDAY, THE

DAY AFTER THE LAWYERS MAKE

FINAL ARGUMENTS TO THE JURY ON

TUESDAY, WHICH WILL OF COURSE

BE THE DAY AFTER THE HOLIDAY,

MEMORIAL DAY.

SO HERE WE ARE.

THE CASE IS IN.

THERE WILL BE NO MORE EVIDENCE.

THE PROSECUTION HAS PRESENTED

EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT EVERY

ELEMENT OF THE CRIMES DONALD

TRUMP FACES IN THE COURTROOM.

THE JURY OF 12 MANHATTAN

RESIDENTS WILL BEGIN

DELIBERATING NEXT WEEK.

ON THE QUESTION OF WHETHER THE

EVIDENCE PRESENTED BY THE

DISTRICT ATTORNEY AMOUNTS TO

PROOF BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT

THAT DONALD TRUMP COMMITTED

THOSE CRIMES.

THERE IS NOTHING ABOUT THE

JURORS THEMSELVES THAT GIVES

YOU THE SLIGHTEST HINT ABOUT

HOW THEY MIGHT BE LEANING IN

THE CASE OR WHAT EVIDENCE THEY

THINK IS IMPORTANT, BUT THEY

ARE ALWAYS VERY ATTENTIVE TO

EVERYTHING IN THAT ROOM,

ESPECIALLY JUDGE MERCHAN'S

INSTRUCTIONS AND THEY WILL

SURELY BE VERY ATTENTIVE WHEN

THE JUDGE DELIVERS THE LAST

WORDS THEY WILL HEAR BEFORE

THEY BEGIN DELIBERATING IN THIS

CASE.

THE JUDGE HAS SAID THAT HE

HOPES TO KEEP HIS INSTRUCTIONS

TO ABOUT AN HOUR OR LESS AND

THIS AFTERNOON IN A HEARING

WITHOUT THE JURY PRESENT,

LAWYERS ON BOTH SIDES ARGUED

ABOUT WHAT THOSE INSTRUCTIONS

SHOULD BE.

IT DID NOT GO WELL FOR THE

TRUMP CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYERS.

THEY BROUGHT UP SOMETHING THAT

THE JUDGE HAD RULED OUT OF THE

CASE A VERY LONG TIME AGO.

LONG BEFORE THE TRIAL BEGAN AND

THIS WAS FRUSTRATING FOR THE

JUDGE.

JUDGE MERCHAN SAID LOOK, THIS

IS AN ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN GOING

ON FOR A VERY, VERY LONG TIME.

I WROTE A DECISION ON THIS AND

MY DECISION IS DATED FEBRUARY

7. THAT DECISION DIRECTED THE

DEFENSE TO PROVIDE NOTICE OF

DISCLOSURE OF YOUR INTENT TO

RELY ON THE DEFENSE OF ADVICE

OF COUNSEL BY MARCH 11, 2024,

AND TO PRODUCE ALL DISCOVERABLE

STATEMENTS AND COMMUNICATIONS

WITHIN HIS POSSESSION AND

CONTROL BY THE SAME DAY.

WHAT THAT MEANS IS THE JUDGE

TOLD THE TRUMP DEFENSE TEAM, IF

YOU'RE GOING TO USE THE MY

LAWYER MADE ME DO IT DEFENSE,

YOU HAVE TO TELL US BEFORE THE

TRIAL, BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY

EVIDENTIARY REQUIREMENTS FOR

MAKING THAT DEFENSE.

THE DEFENSE WOULD ESSENTIALLY

BE I JUST FOLLOWED THE ADVICE

OF MY LAWYER, MICHAEL COHEN.

THERE ARE TECHNICAL

REQUIREMENTS FOR MAKING THAT

LEGAL DEFENSE, WHICH DONALD

TRUMP'S LAWYERS CHOSE NOT TO DO.

AND SO WHEN HIS MOUNTING

FRUSTRATION THIS AFTERNOON THE

JUDGE SAID, LATER ON, THE

DEFENSE ON ADVICE OF COUNSEL

MOVED INTO, MORPHED INTO

SOMETHING CALLED THE PRESENCE

OF COUNSEL, WHICH I HAD NEVER

HEARD OF AND I WAS NOT FAMILIAR

WITH, BUT I ADDRESSED IT AND

THE MOTIONS AND AT THAT TIME I

INDICATED THAT YOU ARE

PRECLUDED FROM ARGUING THIS

LEGAL CLAIM OF PRESENCE OF

COUNSEL.

THERE WAS NO SUCH THING.

IT IS JUST A WAY TO GET AROUND

HAVING TO TURN OVER DOCUMENTS

RELATED TO THE ADVICE OF

COUNSEL.

NOW THIS TERM, PRESENCE OF

COUNSEL, HAS MORPHED YET AGAIN

INTO SOMETHING CALLED

INVOLVEMENT OF COUNSEL.

MY ANSWER HAS NOT CHANGED AND

HONESTLY I FIND IT DISINGENUOUS

FOR YOU TO MAKE THE ARGUMENT AT

THIS POINT.

BOVE ATTEMPTS TO GET UP AT THAT

POINT AND THE JUDGE SAYS,

PLEASE DON'T GET UP.

I LET YOU SPEAK, LET ME SPEAK.

ALL RIGHT.

IT WAS CONCERNING WHEN THE TERM

WAS CHANGED TO PRESENCE OF

COUNSEL.

I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHEN I SAW

IT AGAIN, CALLING IT

INVOLVEMENT OF COUNSEL AND I

UNDERSTAND THE ARGUMENT THAT

YOU ARE MAKING.

I'M TELLING YOU MY RULING IS

THE JURY WILL NOT HEAR THAT

INSTRUCTION FROM THE BENCH, NOR

ARE YOU PERMITTED TO MAKE THAT

ARGUMENT.

THE TRUMP LAWYERS CANNOT STOP

TESTING JUDGE MERCHAN'S

PATIENTS, BUT IN THE PROCESS

THEY CAN'T STOP HUMILIATING