Michael Cohen’s former lawyer Robert Costello has accused the prosecution’s key witness in the New York criminal case against former President Donald Trump of lying on the stand.
Costello appeared Wednesday before Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee for a hearing on federal weaponization.
Mr. Costello claimed that Mr. Cohen, a former client, lied to jurors in testimony this week.
‘[H]Cherry selects certain emails and text messages and tries to make them look like something else. ”
Mr. Trump’s former lawyer, Mr. Cohen, took the stand Monday as the prosecution’s final witness in the case against the former president.
Last year, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg falsified business records related to $130,000 in so-called hush money paid by Cohen to Stormy Daniels, a porn actress who claims she had an affair with Trump. Trump was indicted on a felony charge. Mr. Cohen testified that he made the payments at Mr. Trump’s request and was later reimbursed. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied Daniels’ allegations of extramarital affairs.
Mr Costello, who represented Mr Cohen from April 2018 to July 2018, told lawmakers that Mr Cohen was a “habitual liar” and had previously provided information this week that contradicted his own testimony. He said he had told him. He said it was prudent for Cohen to waive attorney-client privilege at the request of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York because he had pleaded guilty to eight felonies and was “trying to reduce his sentence.” “I thought we could deal with it,” he said. He joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office and lied about cooperating. ”
Cohen told the committee that Costello and Rudy Giuliani “conspired to obstruct justice by tampering with a witness, Michael Cohen.”
“The story that they were coming up with at the time… was that we dangled a pardon under Michael Cohen’s nose to keep him quiet from testifying against Donald Trump.” said Costello.
He said he met with two assistant U.S. attorneys and two FBI agents and detailed his “entire history” with Cohen.
“I have described so many lies that Michael Cohen has told us,” he said.
After reviewing Cohen’s testimony Tuesday, Costello said he identified several lies he told jurors.
“Virtually every statement he made about me was also a lie,” Costello told lawmakers. “What he’s trying to do is cherry-pick certain emails and text messages and try to make them look like something else.”
Costello said that when he first met Cohen, just after the FBI had searched his hotel room and office, his behavior was “completely manic” and that he “looked like he hadn’t slept in four or five days.” It looked like,” he explained.
Costello said Cohen told him at least 10 to 20 times, “I want you to know that I’m going to do whatever I have to do. I’m not going to spend a day in jail.”
During the meeting, Cohen reportedly told Costello that he had done nothing wrong and was “cooperating with the special counsel and Congress.”
“Of course, he forgot to tell us that he lied to Congress,” Costello said, adding that he explained to Cohen that Trump was the actual target of the special counsel’s investigation. added.
He claimed that Cohen told him a few days before the meeting that he was “seriously considering” committing suicide by jumping from the hotel roof, unable to bear the pressure of his upcoming legal problems. Method. “
“What he wanted us to know that day was his escape route. He said, ‘Guys, tell me what my escape route is. How do I get out of this? ”’ Costello continued. .
He told a House committee that he asked Cohen if he had “true information about Donald Trump” and if he did, “all legal issues” could be “resolved by the end of the week.” He said there is.
“His response was, ‘By God, Bob, I have nothing on Donald Trump.’ I said, ‘Michael, I want you to think about this.’ I probably came back to this topic 10 or 20 times over the course of two hours,” Costello said.
He pointed out that every time Cohen asked him a question, Cohen responded the same way: “I don’t have anything against Trump.”
“I said, ‘Michael, whatever you have has to be true. If you think you can go in there and lie to these people, you’re nuts. That’s crazy. It’s going to backfire on you,” Costello continued. “Maybe about the fifth or sixth time, he said, “I know there’s no money for President Trump’s inaugural ball.” I said, “Is Donald Trump involved in that?” ?”said. No, I said, “Does Donald Trump know anything about that?” No, I said, “Michael, that’s no use.”
Costello described Cohen’s recent testimony as “the complete opposite” of what his client had previously told him.
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) asked Costello if Cohen was a “liar.” Costello replied, “That doesn’t even begin to describe him. He lies at every opportunity when it suits him.”
“Is there a single government agency that Michael Cohen hasn’t lied to?” Gates asked.
Costello replied, “No, I don’t think so.”
He noted that Cohen had “changed his story” since their first meeting.
“If there is an actual crime, you have to believe Michael Cohen to convict Donald Trump,” Costello told the committee’s chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). But in reality, there was no crime.”
Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) asked Costello to explain his view of Cohen’s motives for sending the $130,000 settlement to Daniels.
“I received a call from an attorney representing Stormy Daniels who said he was going to testify that Donald Trump had sex with Stormy Daniels,” Costello said. He noted that Cohen said he didn’t believe Daniels’ claims but thought it would be “embarrassing” for Melania Trump.
“That’s why I decided to take matters into my own hands,” Cohen reportedly told Costello.
Mr. Costello told the committee that he asked Mr. Cohen several times whether Mr. Trump was involved in the settlement agreement, but Mr. Cohen said he was not.
“I heard it a few times: “Did you do this yourself?” “Did Donald Trump have anything to do with it?” No. “Did you take money from Donald Trump? ?’ No, ‘From somewhere in his organization?’ No, ‘From someone associated with Donald Trump?’ No,” Costello recalled of his conversation with Cohen.
Costello said Cohen told him he took out a “HELOC loan” on his property to finance the payments to Daniels. When asked why he did it, Cohen allegedly told Costello that he didn’t want anyone, including his wife, to know where he got the money. Mr Costello claimed Mr Cohen’s wife was “in charge” of the household finances and would have asked him “100 questions” about the payments.
Costello accused Cohen of feeling “betrayed” by Trump’s decision not to offer him the White House post after securing the 2016 presidential election.
“He told me he should have been the attorney general of the United States or at least the president’s chief of staff. That’s ridiculous,” Costello continued. “He was very angry about it. He wanted to do something to get him back into Donald Trump’s inner circle. That’s why he took matters into his own hands. Without a motive. Michael Cohen is always working for things that are in his own interest. ”
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