Yesterday, Costello behaved so atrociously on the witness stand that Juan Merchan cleared the courtroom to admonish him & the defense attorneys. Costello is due back on the stand
Defense tried to muddy that story on cross -examination of Cohen. But by calling Costello, they have given prosecutors opportunity to reinforce the story, & emails shown yesterday & this morning suggest that they have ample evidence to support.
#RobertCostello wrote to #MichaelCohen that there had been positive comments about him from the White House & that he had “friends in high places.” Hoffinger gets Costello to say it “definitely referred to President Trump.” 👀
The emails corroborate prosecutors’ story, suggesting that Costello was manipulating Cohen at the direction of #RudyGiuliani & #Trump, while misleading Cohen so that he would not understand what was happening.
#RobertCostello testifies that “sometimes” his emails speak for themselves. Sometimes, the implication is & as he said earlier, they do not.
🙄 more [#mansplaining]
🚨🚨 Costello wrote in an email that his mission was to “get Cohen on the right page without giving him the appearance that we are following instructions from Giuliani or the president.”
The jurors are paying close attention, much more so than they did to the end of #MichaelCohen's cross-examination.
#RobertCostello seems to be more of a witness for the prosecution — albeit a hostile one —than the defense. The emails couldn’t possibly be viewed in any way other than how prosecutors want jurors to view them: They show Costello misleading #MichaelCohen, saying something to him directly & another thing behind his back.
#RobertCostello has just denied that, once he began to believe that #MichaelCohen was in turn misleading him, he was angry or upset. He was, he says, “informed.”
Another email from Costello to his law partner shows that in fact, Costello was very angry at Cohen, contradicting his previous answer.
“What should I say to this asshole?” Costello asked his partner. “He is playing with the most powerful man on the planet.”
#RobertCostello answers “no” when asked if he has animosity toward #MichaelCohen 😂. #Hoffinger points out that Costello went to Washington last week to testify before Congress about Cohen, & made aggressive comments about him. Costello says he didn’t know his comments would be reported in the press [seriously?].
#Hoffinger’s final question is an accusation: whether #RobertCostello’s testimony to Congress was meant to #intimidate#MichaelCohen as he testified in this trial. Costello asked her to repeat the question & then denied the accusation. “No,” he said. “Ridiculous.”
#Trump atty #Bove, is on redirect. Costello testifies that Cohen said in April 2018 that he would be “eternally grateful” for the help & guidance that Costello had given him in those difficult days.
#Bove, in his questioning, tries to reargue that #RobertCostello was not concerned about having failed #Trump but rather not being hired, & paid, by #MichaelCohen.
Bove makes it clear that Cohen, in 2018, used the back channel to Trump that he had been provided by Costello, communicating through the lawyer to #RudyGiuliani & presumably, Trump. [yeah, and?]
There are objections, & lawyers confer w/Justice #Merchan who made clear he does not want this testimony by #RobertCostello to turn into a “trial within a trial,” aimed at attacking a witness — #MichaelCohen.
After the sidebar, Costello says he was giving Cohen “options” & waiting for his “instructions”
#Bove: “Did you ever pressure Michael Cohen to do anything?”
Costello: “I did not”
Bove: “Did you ever have control over Michael Cohen?”
#Hoffinger, in a brief, final series of questions & answers, again confirms that #RobertCostello was never officially hired as #MichaelCohen’s lawyer. Costello steps down from the witness stand.
Justice #Merchan turns to the #jury & explains the upcoming schedule. Closing arguments will take a day & his instructions to them afterward will take at least an hour.
Court will be adjourned, for jurors, until a week from today.
Prosecution & defense argue whether the evidence at trial supported the idea that #Trump did enter a conspiracy w/ #Pecker & #MichaelCohen in 2015 to suppress negative stories during his presidential campaign.
(isn’t that for the jury to decide?)
Defense suggests that there was nothing #criminal about “participating” in that meeting, & that meeting w/ The #NationalEnquirer was simply “standard operating procedure” for campaigning. (Um, no)
And there it is, #Merchan signifies he’s losing patience w/ Bove as he continues to argue a decided issue. Bove insists it’s important, & generously Merchan gives him another chance to speak. But now Merchan repeats his previous decisions on the issue above is harping on, namely that #MichaelCohen was #Trump’s atty when the charged conduct took place.