Witness Testifies that Judge Merchan ‘Overreacted’ During Trial, According to Trump

Robert Costello, a crucial witness in the former President Donald Trump’s documents case, expressed his dissatisfaction with Judge Juan Merchan’s behavior during his testimony on a New York-based radio show.

During an interview on the “Cats and Cosby Show” on Friday, Costello shared with hosts John Catsimatidis and Rita Cosby his perception that Merchan had a bias against him during the trial. Costello was called as a defense witness to testify about the advice he provided to former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.

On Thursday, a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide payments to adult entertainer Stormy Daniels. Costello ultimately became the sole witness called by the Trump defense during the trial.

Costello, a former deputy chief in the criminal division for the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York, expressed surprise at the judge’s treatment towards him. “I guess I muttered … ‘Jeez’ … That’s all I did. The judge then went on a rant… I had to turn to my right to look at him,” Costello said. “That’s what you normally do when somebody’s speaking to you.”

Costello believed that the judge was singling him out. “He immediately said, ‘Are you trying to stare me down?’… [I said], ‘No. Can I explain?’ And he said, ‘No. This is not a discussion.” Costello also recalled the contentious moment when Merchan accused him of rolling his eyes.

“A, I don’t believe I was, and B, if I was, he couldn’t possibly have seen it because he’s behind me and to my right, and I was looking to my left to the jury box,” he added.

Costello expressed his surprise at the guilty verdict delivered by the jury. He had anticipated a hung jury and felt that the jury had deceived him. “I gave them more credit than they deserved… Judge Merchan guided them towards a conviction with his charge, which was completely absurd.”

Costello described the entire ordeal as an “unfortunate experience caused by a judge with thin skin who overreacted. Perhaps he did it intentionally because no reasonable judge would engage in such behavior.”

Regarding the jury, Costello labeled them as individuals suffering from “Trump derangement syndrome” who refuse to listen to facts, indicating that this segment of society has no interest in considering the truth.

“They believe he [Trump] is guilty of something, and they are not concerned with what it might be,” he concluded.