The judge in Paul Manafort's tax fraud trial repeatedly admonished prosecutors for bringing up Manafort's wealth and lavish spending habits and accused them of assking irrelevant and meandering questions, on the second day of the former Trump campaign chairman's trial.

Prosectors seemed to struggle to adjust their examination of witnesses in light of the judge's criticism - while outside the court, Donald Trump compared Mueller's treatment of Manafort unfavorably to that of Al Capone.

Judge T.S. Ellis has repeatedly objected to the government's focus on Manafort's luxury spending saying it is not relevant to the 18 charges of tax fraud and bank fraud he is facing.

The judge has also urged the prosecution to move the case along and banned them from calling Manafort's Ukrainian paymasters 'oligarchs' saying it is 'pejorative'.

'It isn't a crime to have a lot of money and be profligate in your spending,' said Judge Ellis after the prosecution's opening statement on Tuesday, which referenced Manafort's $6 million in real estate holdings and $15,000 custom ostrich suit.

The judge continued to admonish the prosecutors on Wednesday, after they brought in two witnesses who worked at luxury menswear companies and testified that Manafort spent over $1.5 million on custom suits and other clothes.

'The government doesn't want to prosecute somebody because they wear nice clothes, right?' asked the judge.

Key player: Assistant U.S. Attorney Uzo Asonye (right) stunned judge T.S. Ellis III when he said Rick Gates 'may or may not' give evidence against his former boss

Star witness: Rick Gates, Manafort's former deputy, seen in February, had been expected to give extensive evidence at the trial of the former Trump campaign chief on fraud charges but now prosecutors say they may not call him

Property: This is the Bridgehampton, New York, property which Manafort spent $750,000 renovating in his spending spree which prosecutors say was financed by money he did not pay tax on

Defense: Paul Manafort (right) will defend himself by saying that Gates prepared the tax documents and took advantage of him, and also pilfered millions, Manafort's attorney Tom Zehnle told the court Tuesday

When prosecutors continued by asking one of the menswear employees to add up the list of prices for Manafort's suits, Judge Ellis snapped 'that's enough. [The jury] can add.'

'You have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he signed tax documents to show he knowingly didn't represent his true income,' he said brusquely at an another point.

He refused to let prosecutors show pictures of Manafort's suits on the television screens in the court.

The judge also interjected at several points and questioned witnesses himself when he believed the prosecution was meandering and taking too long to get to the point.

On Wednesday afternoon, Judge Ellis said he expects the trial to wrap up 'much sooner' than the three weeks many estimated — and seemed to lay the blame for any delays on the prosecution.

Earlier in the afternoon the judge rebuked the government attorneys for asking a contractor who worked on Manafort's daughter's house to detail the work he did on the home.

Doug Luca, an interior and exterior designer in Virginia, said he built an outdoor kitchen and pergola for Manafort's daughter that cost over $100,000. He said he was paid by a wire transfer from one of Manafort's offshore shell companies.

But the detailed explanation of the lavish design work drew the ire of Judge Ellis.

'To have a witness come describe in exquisite detail what was done is hardly a good use of time,' said Ellis.

The interventions prompted Asonye to dramatically announce that Mueller's prosecution 'may or may not' call Rick Gates, Manafort's deputy who had become a cooperating witness and was expected to be the star of the prosecution's case.

Gates had been expected to provide first-hand testimony for the prosecution that Manafort willfully and intentionally defrauded the IRS and lenders to dodge taxes and obtain fraudulent loans.

Asonye was responding to comments from Judge T.S. Ellis III, who said Asonye's questioning of an FBI agent witness, Matthew Mikuska, was unnecessary if Gates is called to testify.

Paymaster: Viktor Yanukovych, the former president of Ukraine, was a 'cash spigot' for Manafort, prosecutors say but they are banned from calling him an oligarch

Asonye was in the course of asking Mikuska about a document which showed an agenda from a meeting involving Manafort and Gates in 2013 when the judge interrupted to say it was not relevant if Gates himself was called.

Asonye told the court that the prosecution 'may or may not' call Gates to the stand during the trial.

'That was news to me,' responded the surprised judge. 'And about 25 other people who scurried our of here like rats out of a sinking ship.'

The news sent numerous journalists scrambling out of the courtroom.

When Asonye said the government team is still deciding on whether Gates's testimony is necessary, the judge seemed unconvinced.

'You know who you're going to call,' said Judge Ellis. 'If you're going to call Gates this [line of witness questioning] is a waste of time.'

Although prosecutors offered no reason for not calling Gates, Manafort's defense attorney had told the court on Tuesday that his case was that Gates was responsible for the tax fraud and had also been pilfering from Manafort himself to the tune of millions.

And he also said he was told that attorneys on both sides had been seen rolling their eyes after leaving the bench or in response to his rulings. The lawyers' facial expressions, Ellis said, appeared to show them thinking 'why do we have to put up with this idiot judge?'

The FBI agent whose evidence prompted the dramatic announcement that Gates may not testify himself told the court that he participated in the federal raid on Manafort's Virginia condo in 2017.

Agent Mikuska denied claims that it was a 'no-knock' raid, describing how he and a team of FBI agents knocked on Manafort's door three times and announced themselves before opening the door with a key they had obtained.

Mikuska said he saw Manafort standing to his left as soon as he stepped inside the condo during the 6 a.m. raid.

He described the condo as a 'large luxury unit' with large closets and three bedrooms and an open floor plan.

Mikuska also confirmed that several documents showing loans taken out by Manafort were seized during the raid.

Earlier on Wednesday the court heard testimony from political consultant Dan Rabin who discussed his work for Manafort in Ukraine.

According to the testimony, Rabin worked with Manafort on TV ads to support the candidacy of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

The testimony from Rabin, and political consultant Tad Devine late Tuesday, helped the prosecution establish the extent of Manafort's involvement with Yanukovych and his political party, the Ukrainian Party of Regions.

The development came after Trump distanced himself from his former campaign manager.

Trump is arguing the tax evasion and bank fraud charges Manafort is facing - which have to do with his business dealings from his lobbying firm and not his work with the Trump campaign - are 'old' and 'have nothing to do with collusion.'

'Paul Manafort worked for Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and many other highly prominent and respected political leaders. He worked for me for a very short time. Why didn't government tell me that he was under investigation. These old charges have nothing to do with Collusion - a Hoax!,' the president tweeted Wednesday morning.

Trump says Al Capone was treated better than his campaign manager

Al Capone, left, spent time in Alcatraz while Paul Manafort, right, spent part of the time in the VIP section of his prison

Trump distanced himself from his former campaign manager as Day Two of Manafort's trial began

Trump pointed out Manafort only worked for him for a short time

Manafort, seen here with Trump at the Republican National Convention in July 2016, worked for the campaign for about three months

Trump has repeatedly distanced himself from his former campaign aide, saying Manafort was only with his team for a short time and has asked why he wasn't told there was an investigation into him when he worked for him.

Manafort was with the Trump campaign for about three months and left when his work with the Ukraines, which he began in 2006, was revealed.

Manafort's also scheduled for trial in Washington D.C. on September 17 on charges of money laundering and failing to register as a lobbyist in his work before 2014 on behalf of Ukraine's pro-Russian president at the time, Viktor Yanukovych.

He formally registered as a lobbyist for the Ukraine in June 2017, after his work for that country was revealed.

Manafort has plead not guilty in both cases.

The FBI reportedly began looking into him in 2014 after Yanukovych was disposed.

But there are ties between Manafort and the Russia probe.

Manafort, who was Trump's campaign chairman at the time, was at the infamous June Trump Tower meeting with a Kremlin-connected lawyer who claimed to have information on Hillary Clinton.

That meeting is now part of Mueller's look into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

On the first day of his trial, prosecutors claimed Manafort orchestrated a multimillion-dollar conspiracy to evade U.S. tax and banking laws, leaving behind a trail of lies as he lived a lavish lifestyle.

Prosecutor Uzo Asonye told the jury during his opening statement Tuesday that Manafort considered himself above the law as he funneled tens of millions of dollars through offshore accounts. That 'secret income' was used to pay for personal expenses such as a $21,000 watch, a $15,000 jacket made of ostrich and more than $6 million worth of real estate paid for in cash, Asonye said.

'A man in this courtroom believed the law did not apply to him - not tax law, not banking law,' Asonye said as he sketched out the evidence gathered by special counsel Robert Mueller's team in Manafort's bank fraud and tax evasion trial.

Kathleen Manafort, wife of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, arrives at the Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse on Wednesday

Manafort's trial is the first arising from Mueller's investigation into potential ties between Trump's presidential campaign and Russia. It opened with extraordinary anticipation amid unresolved questions about whether Trump associates coordinated with the Kremlin to tip the election in the president's favor.

But it was clear from the outset that the case would not address that question: Prosecutors did not once reference Manafort's work for the Trump campaign nor mention Mueller's broader and ongoing investigation into Russian election interference. Mueller was not present in the courtroom.

Manafort, the lone American charged by Mueller who has opted to stand trial instead of cooperate with prosecutors, was described by his defense lawyer as a hugely successful international political consultant who left the details of his finances to others.

He relied on a team of financial experts to keep track of the millions of dollars he earned from his Ukrainian political work and to ensure that that money was being properly reported, said attorney Thomas Zehnle. He especially trusted business associate Rick Gates, who pleaded guilty in Mueller's investigation and is now the government's star witness. But that trust was misplaced, Zehnle said in an opening statement that made clear that undermining the credibility of Gates - a former Trump campaign aide who spent years working for Manafort in Ukraine - is central to the defense strategy.

Zehnle warned jurors that Gates could not be trusted and was the type of witness who would say anything he could to save himself from a lengthy prison sentence and a crippling financial penalty.

'Money's coming in fast. It's a lot, and Paul Manafort trusted that Rick Gates was keeping track of it,' Zehnle said. 'That's what Rick Gates was being paid to do.'

The trial, decided by a jury of six men and six women who were seated after a brief selection process Tuesday, is expected to last several weeks.

After opening statements, the jury heard from the government's first witness, Democratic strategist Tad Devine, who testified about his collaborations with Manafort on behalf of Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych and his Party of Regions. Devine testified that Manafort ran a tightly disciplined, professional campaign that contributed to his candidate's victory.

Central to the government's case are allegations that Manafort funneled more than $60 million in proceeds from his Ukrainian political consulting through offshore accounts, including in Cyprus, and hid a 'significant' portion of it from the IRS. He created 'bogus' loans, falsified documents and lied to his tax preparer and bookkeeper to conceal the money, which he obtained from Ukrainian oligarchs through a series of shell company transfers and later from fraudulently obtained bank loans in the U.S., prosecutors said.

Kevin Downing (L) and Richard Westling, attorneys of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, arrive at the Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse on Tuesday

Paul Manafort's also scheduled for trial in Washington D.C. on September 17 on charges of money laundering and failing to register as a lobbyist

But Zehnle said there was no evidence that Manafort ever intended to deceive the IRS. He denied allegations that Manafort had tried to conceal his earnings by storing money in bank accounts in Cyprus, saying that arrangement was not of Manafort's doing but was instead the preferred method of payment of the supporters of the pro-Russia Ukrainian political party who were paying his consulting fees.

Defense lawyers also sought to address head-on Manafort's wealth and the images of a gaudy lifestyle that jurors are expected to see.

'Paul Manafort travels in circles that most people will never know and he's gotten handsomely rewarded for it,' Zehnle said. 'We do not dispute that.'

Manafort has a second trial scheduled for September in the District of Columbia. It involves allegations that he acted as an unregistered foreign agent for Ukrainian interests and made false statements to the U.S. government.

The other 31 people charged by Mueller so far have either pleaded guilty or are Russians seen as unlikely to enter an American courtroom. Three Russian companies have also been charged.

Manafort shopped at the 'world's most expensive men's store', spent $440,000 on suits in a year and paid by wire transfer from a foreign bank

Paul Manafort spent over $1.5 million on custom suits and bespoke clothing between 2010 and 2014, often paying by foreign bank wire transfers, two luxury menswear retailers told a federal court in Virginia on Wednesday.

Maximillian Katzman, the manager of New York-based retailer Alan Couture – which specializes in vicuna and silk custom-made suits – and Ron Wald, the CFO of the Beverly Hill-based House of Bijan, described Manafort's pricey spending habits and use of foreign wire transfers on the second day of Manafort's tax fraud trial.

The 69-year-old former Trump campaign chairman is facing 18 counts of tax evasion and bank fraud, which could add up to over 100 years in prison if he is convicted.

Prosecutors said their testimony provided evidence on Manafort's income and his use of foreign bank accounts and shell companies, which they allege he used to dodge taxes and hide millions in income from his Ukrainian political clients.

Katzman, whose father is the owner of Alan Couture, said Manafort's spent over $927,000 at his store between 2010 and 2014.

Most expensive men's wear store in the world: House of Bijan is on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, CA, and boasts of the level of luxury it offers to by appointment only customers - including, his trial heard, Paul Manafort

Only the wealthiest: Clients at House of Bijan have included Jeff Bezos, the world's richest man, and Bill Clinton

Where did you get that suit? Paul Manafort was one of the 'top five' clients of New York's Alan Couture, where he spent $444,000 in 2013 alone as well as the House of Bijan

He said Manafort was one of the store's top five clients – Alan Couture has around 40 regular clients – and he primarily bought suits, neckwear and jackets.

He spent $104,000 there in 2010, and more than $444,000 in 2013, the court heard.

Katzman said Manafort was often late making payments, forcing Katzman to reach out to Manafort's former business partner Rick Gates for the money.

Manafort was the only Alan Couture client to regularly pay by foreign wire transfer, according to Katzman.

Wald, who was in charge of the financial records at House of Bijan – known as the 'most expensive men's store in the world' – said Manafort spent over $657,000 at the retailer between 2010 and 2013, according to his records.

His purchases included $21,000 on a limited edition, black titanium and crystal watch.

Wald said Manafort made payments through wire transfers from an account based in Cyprus.

Manafort's defense countered during cross examination that Katzman was often unable to reach Manafort directly and instead went to his former business partner Gates for payments. They suggested that some of the foreign transfers could have been authorized by Gates. They also highlighted the fact that Wald has never had direct contact with Manafort.

What to wear: Ultra-discreet Alan Couture is on the sixth floor of a midtown New York building, but inside offers handmade clothes including a suede vest with detachable cashmere sleeves and a jacket from Ermenegilo Zegna's I Preziosi cashmere, described as 'the best of the best'

Also on offer: This three-piece suit with double-breasted vest in Loro Piana's Wish Super 170s Wool Flannel fabric, and paired with Thomas Mason shirt - which start at $150 a shirt - is one of Alan Couture's range. It is unclear where Manafort's suit he is wearing in court is from

Mocking: Demonstrators outside the court on Tuesday had already made Manafort's lifestyle a focus of their mockery

Manafort's attorneys have argued that Gates – who has been cooperating with prosecutors after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice – embezzled money from Manafort and then turned against him to save himself from jail time.

Prosecutors also sought to publish photos of Manafort's suits on television screens in the courtroom.

This drew a rebuke from Judge T.S. Ellis who has repeatedly objected to the prosecution's focus on Manafort's wealth and spending habits.

'The government doesn't want to prosecute somebody because they wear nice clothes, right?' asked the judge.

When the prosecution attempted to continue the line of questioning, asking Katzman to add up the total amount Manafort spent at his store, the judge cut it off.

'I said that's enough,' Judge Ellis said sharply. '[The jury] can add.'

Judge Ellis later told prosecutors that he can 'understand this effort to show [Manafort] lived lavishly,' but did not believe this was relevant to the government's tax evasion and bank fraud charges against the former Trump campaign chairman.