A lawyer for former Trump fixer Michael Cohen suggested Tuesday that Robert J. Costello’s statements in the silence trial “strengthened” Cohen’s testimony, after he was apparently called by the defense to undermine his credibility. your client.
Costello, Cohen’s former legal counsel, took the stand Monday at former President Trump’s criminal trial to talk about Cohen’s state of mind in 2018 — when federal prosecutors criminally investigated him and his work as Trump’s personal lawyer.
When asked by CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins whether Costello’s testimony did more to undermine Cohen or her own credibility, attorney Danya Perry said, “I certainly thought it backfired.”
“And I certainly thought that reinforced Michael’s testimony that he never trusted this guy, and I think the jury saw in full force why he didn’t,” she added.
Costello reportedly offered to establish a back channel between Trump and Cohen in 2018 through former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who had just joined Trump’s legal team.
On the witness stand last week, Cohen told the New York jury that Costello continued to pressure him with “constant calls” and long emails. The consultant, according to Cohen, apparently became angry when he told him he was instead talking to a boutique law firm.
After the exchange, both had a fightin part due to alleged outstanding legal bills.
Costello was called by the defense on Monday in an apparent attempt to discredit Cohen’s testimony and show that the former fixer used his backchannel to communicate with the former president. During interrogation, the prosecution tried to discredit Costello, suggesting he was more aligned with Trump than Cohen advised him in 2018.
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger raised Costello’s recent testimony before the House Select Subcommittee on the Armament of the Federal Government, where the witness criticized Cohen and the prosecution more generally.
“You went there to publicly defame Michael Cohen,” Hoffinger said.
“I went to testify,” Costello responded.
Hoffinger then asked if it was an attempt to intimidate Cohen, to which he said, “Ridiculous. No.”
Cohen’s lawyer weighed in on the exchange.
“Look, it looks like you were asked a very simple basic question. And he responded,” Perry said Tuesday. “And so, that was immediately dispelled in the interrogation.”
“So I think this whole notion that he was sent by Trump and that he was communicating with Rudy Giuliani and Trump,” she continued. “He said no, even though he had the receipts, he had seen the emails, he had sent the emails himself. So I thought it was just a weird move.”
Perry said his client has “told the truth” for the past six years.
His comments came after Costello and members of Trump’s defense team were admonished by Judge Juan Merchan at Monday’s proceedings for improper courtroom decorum.
Cohen was widely expected to be the prosecution’s star witness in the hush money case, in which Trump faces 34 criminal charges of falsifying business records. The charges center on refunds made to the former lawyer for a payment he made to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election to keep quiet about an alleged affair.
Trump’s defense rested its case on Tuesday, with Trump choosing not to appear on the witness stand in person. The judge scheduled closing statements for next Tuesday and deliberations are expected to begin later.
The Hill’s Lauren Sforza contributed reporting.
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