NEW YORK — It was a tumultuous day in court for Donald Trump‘s hush money trial, in which a judge briefly cleared the courtroom after a heated exchange with a witness who had been called to help the former president’s case.

When Trump exited the courtroom on Monday, he praised the witness, Robert Costello, a former adviser to his ex-attorney and fixer Michael Cohen. Costello’s words were integral to the defense’s efforts to undercut Cohen’s claims about Trump’s alleged involvement in a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, for which Trump is now facing charges.