Costello must have been a dud. "Cohen not needed," according to Lanny Davis

[bigtree]

Robert Costa @costareports
UPDATE from outside Manhattan criminal court: Lanny Davis tells CBS that Michael Cohen was "available for over two hours today" at Manhattan grand jury but "we are pleased to report that Mr. Cohen was not needed." He was available but not called before the grand jury.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

update:

Graham Kates @GrahamKates 25m (CBS investigative reporter)
Michael Cohen tells CBS News that he doesn’t think he’ll be called to testify on Wednesday.

“No, I think it’s all over.”

[triron]

1. Ha!

[GPV]

2. What does this mean?

[bigtree]

3. reports were that Cohen was standing by as a 'rebuttal' witness to Robert Costello

Robert Costello, Michael Cohen’s former legal adviser, to appear before Trump grand jury
Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, said he will return to the district attorney’s office Monday to stand by as a rebuttal witness.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/robert-costello-testify-trump-grand-jury-hush-money-payment-rcna75668#:~:text=Cohen%20alleged%20that%20Trump%20directed%20him%20to%20pay,Sunday%20that%20he%20never%20signed%20a%20retainer%20agreement.

[GPV]

5. Ah! Tyvm!

[chowder66]

6. Costello was to testify for Trump and Cohen was there to be a rebuttal witness

Guess it went bad for Costello and Cohen wasn't needed.

Link to tweet

[GPV]

8. Ty!

[chowder66]

9. : )

[Cha]

11. Mahalo, Chowder! nt

[ancianita]

29. Costello claims he brought a box of docs and email receipts, but he couldn't get why the

grand jury didn't act that receptive. Why should it be; this is, after all, the prosecutor's grand jury.

[Leith]

32. So Costello didn't say anything that needed rebutting

That sounds like the truth was squeezed out of him. Musta hurt.


Mr. Tribe has given us a wonderful new typo that makes the sentence better than the writer intended.

Robert Costello... has preciously represented Rudy Giuliani and Steve Bannon as well as Trump.

Well, it's steady work, I suppose.

[calimary]

36. "Preciously"? Maybe he meant "previously"?

Maybe he was in a hurry and posted it before reading it over first?

[Roland99]

13. That Costello doesn't know Who is on First

He was part of a last-gasp smear campaign and the Grand Jury apparently saw right through it.

[TheCowsCameHome]

4. Yeah, what does this mean?

n/t

[triron]

7. Maybe premature to say but Trump has already been indicted.

[honest.abe]

12. It means its basically a done deal.

[Tommy Carcetti]

10. So are we looking at a big announcement either tonight or tomorrow? nt

[SheltieLover]

15. And the ketchup is flying!

[LetMyPeopleVote]

16. This makes me smile

Link to tweet

[spanone]

17. He's talking to the press right now....trashing Cohen.

4:20cst

[FarPoint]

18. Ohhhh Boy! He is trying to take a bulldozer and smear Cohen!!!

He rambles on and on and really knee deep in BS I believe.

[spanone]

20. The DA's got the emails he's talking about and he determines if they're relevant

fuck this guy

[FarPoint]

22. I trust that assessment...

I believe Michael Cohen will be on at 6 pm...Ari is having an extended show/ also covering for Nicole....It's a good show day.

[spanone]

24. 👍🏼

[ShazzieB]

21. Who's trashing Cohen?

Costello, or Trump?

[FarPoint]

23. tRump attorney Costello

Lot's of irrelevant rambling/ trashing of Cohen..." kill the witness" mode by Costello.

[ShazzieB]

27. LOL!

He's probably really upset that his efforts to undermine Cohen's credibility with the GJ were so unsuccessful!

Also probably worried about Trump's reaction to his failure. Too bad, so sad!

[dem4decades]

19. When Cohen waived his attorney-client privilege you had to figure Costello had nothing to offer.

[malaise]

25. Did you just see that interview with Costello

outside his office - what the fuck!

[ancianita]

30. Pretty late with his so-called evidence, I'd say.

[bigtree]

38. Costello says the jurors weren't actually interested in what he wanted to sell them

...complained that the prosecution didn't ask him anything about what he was on about, so he had to keep bringing it up himself.

I wonder what they were actually asking him about? He sure seemed rattled when he came out.

Costello's phone and emails were already turned over to NY prosecutors over his involvement with Guiliani over Ukraine.

"U.S. prosecutors investigating Giuliani in New York City also previously sought Costello’s documents regarding interactions he had with another former personal lawyer to Trump, Michael Cohen, shortly after the FBI raided Cohen’s home in April 2018.

“Sleep Well tonight, you have friends in high places,” Costello told Cohen via email at the time, adding that he was in touch with Giuliani, who thanked him for opening a “back channel” to Cohen. Cohen alleged that Trump allies dangled the prospect of a pardon to him, although Cohen also said he directed his own attorney to approach Giuliani about a potential pardon."

While the data gathering on Costello appeared centered on Bannon’s case, his lawyers said information the government has turned over raises more questions than answers, including why information about Costello’s calls, texts or emails — but not their contents — were sought, who approved the collection, and how much was scooped up. At least one request mentioned in court filings spanned an eight-month period last year when Costello was also representing Giuliani in a criminal probe led by U.S. prosecutors in Manhattan into whether Giuliani’s dealings in Ukraine as Trump’s personal attorney violated federal lobbying laws.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/02/05/bannon-attorney-costello-justice-search/

[ancianita]

39. That's pretty much what I gathered, too, bigtree.

Costello, according to Nick Ackerman on Ari's show right now, and Giuliani had reported to Trump that they were "keeping Cohen in line."

Costello's not credible to any lawyers who've been on Ari's show -- Katyal, Maya Wiley, and others I don't remember.

Thanks for the info about his representing past shady criminals.

This Hail Mary will fail. The indictment's already in, probably.

[bigtree]

34. watching it again now

...should be interesting watching folks who said they think what Cohen has said is credible make sense of it.

It sounds like the same bravado we've seen all throughout, and the smearing stuff about Cohen being 'convicted' betrays what he's doing out there. He doesn't appear to have convinced anyone inside, so he's shooting his mouth off outside, complaining they didn't seem interested in his bull and he had to bring it up himself.

I'd think he'd just shut up and keep it under his hat if he'd been successful with the grand jury.



I know you're probably watching Ari and waiting for Cohen...

Graham Kates @GrahamKates 25m
Michael Cohen tells CBS News that he doesn’t think he’ll be called to testify on Wednesday.

“No, I think it’s all over.”

[ancianita]

40. All that. Exactly. Ari and the other lawyers are reading this right.

There wouldn't be any law enforcement there right now if Bragg weren't ordering Trump's arrest and booking. U.S. Marshals can pick him up at any airport anywhere he's gone for any of his pitiful rallies where he foments his "political prisoner" crazies to "pressure" this "radical communist Democrat gubmint."

[lamp_shade]

26. He (Cohen) will be on with Ari during the 6:00 hour.

[C_U_L8R]

28. Double Nothingburger with Cheese

Now let's see if Donnie's muppet perjured himself.

[Quixote1818]

31. I'm betting Trump threw him some money at the last minute to say this BS

A total desperation move.

[lindysalsagal]

33. Tfg's vulnerability is his history of fixers, who were able to

Magically save his butt. Tfg was too stupid to follow the details or the laws, and so didn't know his fixers were not magic. He didn't know they were using lawyer tricks. He really believes he's invulnerable from his past.

That's about to change. Bigly.

[brooklynite]

35. I'm wearing the grey parka with the camera at 0:15.....

[bigtree]

37. very cool

...exactly where I like to be at events like this.

[BlueIdaho]

41. Costello was a dud with the Grand Jury

So he’s trying to read his slanderous nonsense into the record in front of the “M$M” - this douche nozzle failed miserably. How long before Cohen’s legal team seek damages?

[H2O Man]

42. Recommended.

That is rather telling, is it not?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

43. Costella was discussed in Mueller Report

This idiot was part of the obstruction of justice charge with respect to keeping Michael Cohen quiet by dangling a pardon

Link to tweet