A lawyer who represented Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen told members of Congress on Wednesday that Cohen lied about paying “hush money” to porn star Stormy Daniels. , previously claiming that the 45th president was not involved in the deal.
Former Manhattan federal prosecutor Robert Costello told the House Select Subcommittee on Federal Weapons that key points in Cohen’s recent testimony against Trump in Manhattan criminal court were false. I made it.
Federal prosecutors indicted Cohen in 2018 on charges of violating federal campaign finance laws by paying Daniels $130,000, and he was later sentenced to three years in prison for that charge, as well as tax evasion and making false statements to banks. Ta.
The legal crisis brought Mr. Cohen to the brink of suicide, but Mr. Costello told the committee that his client at the time said, “I swear to God, Bob, I don’t have anything on Donald Trump.” He said he made the claim at least 10 times.
Cohen then waived attorney-client privilege and allowed Costello to share damning details of the meeting.
Costello emphasized that prosecutors are seeking “true information that could implicate Donald Trump.” [Cohen] If he cooperates against Donald Trump, his legal problems will be resolved by the end of this week. ”
Mr. Cohen testified earlier this week as a witness in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s prosecution of Mr. Trump, 77. He faces 34 criminal charges for falsifying business records to conceal repayments to Cohen for payments to Daniels.
These payments were made in 2017, but prosecutors claim the incident constituted a “criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 election.”
The former president has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Mr. Costello told subcommittee members that he persuaded Mr. Cohen to cooperate because his client was “seriously considering” jumping from the roof of the Loews Regency Hotel on Park Avenue, but Mr. Costello He claimed that he was skeptical about the “hush money” allegations from the beginning.
Mr. Cohen later said that Mr. Daniels concocted the “catch-and-kill” plot to cover up the story that he had had an affair several years earlier with the then-married candidate. “I made the decision because it would be embarrassing for Mr. Trump and especially for Melania,” he said. To deal with it myself. ”
Costello said his former client’s “motives” for the scheme later “became clear” when he learned that Cohen expected to be appointed as Trump’s chief of staff or attorney general. ” he added.
“Cohen then explained that he therefore negotiated a deal in exchange for an amount of $130,000. [non-disclosure agreement with Daniels]” said Costello. “I asked if Mr. Trump knew about this, and Mr. Cohen said no. When I asked if Mr. Cohen had received the $130,000 from Mr. Trump or from Mr. Trump’s organizations or friends, Mr. Cohen said, Again, I said no.”
Mr. Cohen testified in court this week that he used a home equity line of credit (HELOC) loan to buy Mr. Daniels’ silence and kept his wife in the dark about the amount.
But under direct questioning, the disgraced former lawyer agreed that Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg would repay him $420,000, and Trump He added that he had been informed about the money.
Mr. Cohen also denied that he told Mr. Costello, who testified before the Manhattan grand jury that indicted Mr. Trump, that the former president knew about the payments.
Mr. Cohen said this week that Mr. Costello “ran right back” to another client at the time, former New York City mayor and Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, to share that information. He testified that he hid that information from Mr. Costello out of fear. .
For updates on Donald Trump’s ‘hush money’ trial, follow The Post’s live blog
Costello released Cohen’s full testimony on Wednesday after he was stripped of his law license and spent a year in federal prison before completing the remainder of his sentence under home confinement amid the coronavirus pandemic. said it was a “revenge trip” against Trump.
“Michael Cohen is simply not a man you can trust,” Costello concluded.
Mr. Cohen took the witness stand again Thursday for cross-examination by a lawyer representing the former president.
