Former attorney Robert Costello testified before House lawmakers that Michael Cohen, who once served as Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, lied about the “hush money” payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels. Costello revealed that key points of Cohen’s recent testimony against Trump in Manhattan Criminal Court were false. Federal prosecutors had charged Cohen in 2018 with violating campaign finance laws for the $130,000 payment to Daniels, leading to his conviction on multiple charges and a three-year prison sentence.
Costello shared that Cohen was in significant legal jeopardy after the charges, which pushed him to the brink of suicide. Despite this, Cohen insisted at least 10 times to Costello that he did not have any damaging information on Donald Trump. Eventually, Cohen waived his attorney-client privilege, allowing Costello to disclose their conversations detailing how prosecutors pressured Cohen to provide information incriminating Trump in exchange for leniency in his legal troubles.
Cohen testified in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s prosecution of Trump, who is facing numerous criminal counts related to concealing reimbursement to Cohen for the Daniels payment. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Costello stated that he convinced Cohen to cooperate after Cohen had considered suicide, and Cohen revealed that he arranged the payment to Daniels to protect Trump’s reputation, especially from his wife Melania, in the hopes of securing a high-ranking position within Trump’s administration.
Costello outlined that Cohen had orchestrated the “catch and kill” scheme to prevent Daniels from revealing her affair with Trump, offering her $130,000 for a non-disclosure agreement. Cohen claimed to Costello that Trump was not aware of the payment, with Cohen financing it himself through a home equity line of credit loan. However, Cohen later admitted that Trump’s CFO had reimbursed him $420,000, with Trump’s knowledge of the transaction.
During his testimony, Cohen denied informing Costello about Trump’s involvement in the payment, fearing that the lawyer would share the information with Rudy Giuliani, another former client and Trump’s personal lawyer. Costello described Cohen’s testimony as a “revenge tour” against Trump, motivated by losing his law license and spending time in federal prison.
Costello concluded that Cohen was not a credible witness, implying that his testimony was driven by personal vendetta rather than factual accounts. On Thursday, Cohen faced cross-examination in the trial regarding the “hush money” payments, continuing the legal battle against Trump and his associates. The testimony provided insights into the convoluted series of events surrounding the scandal and the lengths individuals were willing to go to protect their interests and reputations.
