Cohen lied in NY vs. Trump case, he either lied in 2018 or he is lying now.

[Luvnit2]

Cohen former advisor told Congress today Cohen swore he had nothing on Donald Trump. He arranged the payments on his own according to Costello. Costello said Cohen did not believe Daniel's story, but he handled it himself to spare Melania.

Cohen waived attorney client privilege so Costelle is free to discuss his interaction with Cohen. This from the article was interesting:

Costello testified before the grand jury for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against former President Trump. Costello testified in March 2023, just weeks before Bragg's grand jury indicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

Why did Bragg use Costello to get Trump indicted but has not called him as a witness. Keep in mind, the DA provides all evidence to a grand jury and the defense provides zero evidence, so one-sided process for indictment.

Why would Cohen lie to his attorney saying Trump did nothing wrong? It seems obvious, he told Costello the truth and is lying now because Bragg threatened to put his wife in jail, and he is a pathological liar.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/michael-cohen-said-trump-had-nothing-stormy-daniels-hush-money-payment-his-ex-attorney-testifies

Michael Cohen once swore Trump wasn't involved in Stormy Daniels payment, his ex-attorney testifies
Costello, a former SDNY prosecutor, testified before the House Weaponization Committee

A lawyer who formerly advised Michael Cohen claims the ex-Trump attorney said the former president had nothing to do with a hush money payment made to pornographic performer Stormy Daniels and that Cohen took care of the arrangement himself.

Robert Costello, an attorney who advised Cohen after Cohen was hit with federal charges in 2018, testified before the House Weaponization Committee on Capitol Hill Wednesday during the same week Cohen has been testifying against his former boss in a Manhattan courtroom.

Costello, a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, explained he is able to discuss his interactions with Cohen because he "waived the attorney-client privilege and the duty of loyalty of a lawyer to a client."

[GMDino]

(05-15-2024, 11:31 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: Cohen former advisor told Congress today Cohen swore he had nothing on Donald Trump. He arranged the payments on his own according to Costello. Costello said Cohen did not believe Daniel's story, but he handled it himself to spare Melania.

Cohen waived attorney client privilege so Costelle is free to discuss his interaction with Cohen. This from the article was interesting:

Costello testified before the grand jury for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against former President Trump. Costello testified in March 2023, just weeks before Bragg's grand jury indicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

Why did Bragg use Costello to get Trump indicted but has not called him as a witness. Keep in mind, the DA provides all evidence to a grand jury and the defense provides zero evidence, so one-sided process for indictment.

Why would Cohen lie to his attorney saying Trump did nothing wrong? It seems obvious, he told Costello the truth and is lying now because Bragg threatened to put his wife in jail, and he is a pathological liar.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/michael-cohen-said-trump-had-nothing-stormy-daniels-hush-money-payment-his-ex-attorney-testifies

Michael Cohen once swore Trump wasn't involved in Stormy Daniels payment, his ex-attorney testifies
Costello, a former SDNY prosecutor, testified before the House Weaponization Committee

A lawyer who formerly advised Michael Cohen claims the ex-Trump attorney said the former president had nothing to do with a hush money payment made to pornographic performer Stormy Daniels and that Cohen took care of the arrangement himself.

Robert Costello, an attorney who advised Cohen after Cohen was hit with federal charges in 2018, testified before the House Weaponization Committee on Capitol Hill Wednesday during the same week Cohen has been testifying against his former boss in a Manhattan courtroom.

Costello, a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, explained he is able to discuss his interactions with Cohen because he "waived the attorney-client privilege and the duty of loyalty of a lawyer to a client."

"Man denies committing crime!

Man says boss had nothing to do with crime!


Man and boss get caught! Man flips on boss and tells whole story!  Provides proof boss is guilty"

Probably never happened in the history of the United States.  

[Belsnickel]

(05-16-2024, 09:07 AM)GMDino Wrote: "Man denies committing crime!

Man says boss had nothing to do with crime!


Man and boss get caught! Man flips on boss and tells whole story!  Provides proof boss is guilty"

Probably never happened in the history of the United States.  

Not to mention that Costello, who was never actually Cohen's lawyer and there was no privilege ever in existence there, was a go-between for Cohen and Trump. What does this mean? Costello is in the Trump orbit and as such any statements he provides should be considered with skepticism.

So let's put this in mafia terms, or at least how our media depicts the mafia. This is like a soldier (Cohen) flipping on the boss (Trump) and the soldier's capo (Costello) trying to run interference on it.

[Luvnit2]

(05-16-2024, 09:07 AM)GMDino Wrote: "Man denies committing crime!

Man says boss had nothing to do with crime!


Man and boss get caught! Man flips on boss and tells whole story!  Provides proof boss is guilty"

Probably never happened in the history of the United States.  

You filed to grasp the conversations. Cohen was speaking with an attorney on how to not be indicted by Bragg. His attorney advised if he had anything on Trump, he could use that information to get off. He stated he had nothing on Trump. He said he paid off Stormy on his own because he was worried about Melania (not an election). This conversation happened in 2018 long after Trump was elected.

His own attorney said he lied on the stand.....again.

Costello also said Bragg only used a portion of his emails presented to the grand jury. He has everything in writing and gave them all to Bragg. 

[*pally*]

Interesting though that the defense doesn't seem to have Costello on their witness list, otherwise he would not have been testifying in front of C'ongress just days before.

[hollodero]

Well, Mr. Cohen certainly can not be seen as the most reliable witness. But my guess would be - if the conversation back then actually happened as described - that Cohen did not tell Mr. Costello the truth back in 2018. A possible reason would be that Mr. Costello could be seen as a Trump plant pumping for informaton and it would have been unwise to tell him everything straight up.

Also, Cohen did not "swear" to Mr. Costello, and this alternate story makes not much sense. So Daniels contacted Cohen alleging an affair with Trump, he did not believe her, did not inform Donald Trump, but paid her 130.000 dollars out of his own pocket anyway to protect Melania? Who does that?

[*Nately120*]

(05-16-2024, 11:52 AM)pally Wrote: Interesting though that the defense doesn't seem to have Costello on their witness list, otherwise he would not have been testifying in front of C'ongress just days before.

I assume the defense's main strategy is to say "If Trump is cool as shit, you must acquit."

[BigPapaKain]

Only the very best people.

[*Nately120*]

(05-16-2024, 08:38 PM)BigPapaKain Wrote: Only the very best people.

People who worked with and interacted with Trump have a lot of bad things to say about him, the worst place for him to face a jury of his peers just happens to be his hometown where he worked and resided for 70+ years, but people who have never met him nor will ever meet him think he's the most selfless and amazing man ever...pretty weird.

[Belsnickel]

(05-16-2024, 08:38 PM)BigPapaKain Wrote: Only the very best people.

Scummy people tend to attract scummy people. I was listening to one of the legal podcasts I regularly listen to and the co-host, who is currently a federal defense lawyer and previously was a federal prosecutor, was describing this in relation to Cohen. The idea being that the defense will naturally seek to call out Cohen as a liar; he is convicted as one, after all. What the prosecution will point out in response is that of course he is, those are the qualities that made him useful for Trump. Those character traits that make Cohen a lying piece of shit are exactly why Trump had him around. Scum attracts scum. It's a classic gambit when dealing with underlings testifying against their bosses.

[*pally*]

(05-17-2024, 06:41 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: Scummy people tend to attract scummy people. I was listening to one of the legal podcasts I regularly listen to and the co-host, who is currently a federal defense lawyer and previously was a federal prosecutor, was describing this in relation to Cohen. The idea being that the defense will naturally seek to call out Cohen as a liar; he is convicted as one, after all. What the prosecution will point out in response is that of course he is, those are the qualities that made him useful for Trump. Those character traits that make Cohen a lying piece of shit are exactly why Trump had him around. Scum attracts scum. It's a classic gambit when dealing with underlings testifying against their bosses.

Exactly!

Every time, I hear someone insult Cohen or Stormy Daniels, all I can think is, “why aren’t they calling out Trump’s judgement?” These and others like them, are the people Donald Trum willingly chooses to associate with.

You can’t “drain the swamp” when your entire circle is made up of swamp creatures.

[FormerlyBengalRugby]

(05-17-2024, 06:41 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: Scummy people tend to attract scummy people. I was listening to one of the legal podcasts I regularly listen to and the co-host, who is currently a federal defense lawyer and previously was a federal prosecutor, was describing this in relation to Cohen. The idea being that the defense will naturally seek to call out Cohen as a liar; he is convicted as one, after all. What the prosecution will point out in response is that of course he is, those are the qualities that made him useful for Trump. Those character traits that make Cohen a lying piece of shit are exactly why Trump had him around. Scum attracts scum. It's a classic gambit when dealing with underlings testifying against their bosses.

I agree overall, and would go a step further in that the trial seems to be about attacking DJT in general, hence this idea of him being scum, and allowing Stormy to go on and on about irrelevant details to embarrass DJT, a bell which cannot be unrung with the jury.

DJT has many flaws, but this is not a good look for the DA. 

[Luvnit2]

Cohen is busted for another lie in the cross by Blanche. He lied and said a call he made to Trump's bodyguard was to tell Trump he handled Stormy. He made the call to ask the secret service to get involved because a 14-year-old was pranking him.

He also lied about asking for a pardon, he said he did not, but did in a deposition.

The jury members were seen shaking their head.

Prosecution is done and still no crime not only proven but committed.

[Luvnit2]

CNN and MSNBC trash Cohen testimony. He is the prosecutor's only witness to attempt to tie into the NDA. Bob Costello testified in front of Congress Wednesday and said Cohen told him he acted alone for the NDA. Cohen swore to him he acted alone because he was worried Melania would be upset, he also said he did not believe Trump had an affair with Stormy.

"You could tell the import of the moment and everyone in the courtroom could tell, and if you were unaware of it – the clicking of every reporters’ in the room typewriters – it was like a crescendo because the drama of the moment was so clear to everybody in the room," Cooper said.

For those saying why doesn't Costello testify, it is rumored the corrupt judge would not allow it.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/anderson-cooper-admits-absolutely-doubts-cohens-testimony-jury

Anderson Cooper admits he would ‘absolutely’ have doubts about Cohen’s testimony if he were on the jury
Cooper called the moment 'devastating' for Cohen's credibility

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper admitted on Thursday that he would "absolutely" have doubts about former Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s testimony if he were a member of the jury.

Cooper made the comments while speaking to CNN legal analyst Elie Honig about a notable moment during Cohen’s cross-examination the anchor described as Trump’s lawyer catching Cohen in a lie.

"Absolutely. I think it’s devastating for Michael Cohen’s credibility on this one particular topic," Cooper told Honig when asked if he thought Cohen’s testimony about his attempted phone call to Trump was not trustworthy.
Cooper’s admission came as both pundits discussed Trump attorney Todd Blanche’s questioning of Cohen, who alleges that he paid adult film star Stormy Daniels on direct orders from then-2016 presidential candidate to conceal an affair Trump and Daniels had.

During testimony with prosecutors on Tuesday, Cohen stated that he had called Trump’s former bodyguard Keith Schiller on Oct. 24, 2016 to get in touch with Trump about the payment to Daniels.

However, as Trump's legal team questioned Cohen on Thursday, Blanche pulled out records of text messages that Cohen sent to Schiller shortly before phone call. The text messages revealed Cohen asked to talk to Schiller about a 14-year-old prankster that was harassing him.

The records indicated that Schiller told Cohen "Call me," just ahead of the phone call, which Cohen testified earlier was meant for Trump about the payment. When Blanched asked Cohen what the call was about Cohen admitted the call was partly about the 14-year-old harassing him.

"Part of it was the 14-year-old ... but I know Keith was with Mr. Trump," Cohen testified.

[Luvnit2]

MSNBC article on Cohen. Multiple legal experts from CNN and MSNBC trash both Cohen and Bragg after Cohen cross on Thursday.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/msnbc-hails-moment-real-triumph-trump-defense-team-cross-examination-michael-cohen

MSNBC hails 'moment of real triumph' for Trump defense team during cross-examination of Michael Cohen
Trump attorney Todd Blanche accused prosecution's star witness of lying in a tense exchange

MSNBC legal correspondent Lisa Rubin expressed her astonishment towards a key exchange during the cross-examination of ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen in the ongoing New York v. Trump trial.

During MSNBC's coverage of the trial on Thursday, Rubin zeroed in on what the network described as the "John Grisham moment" and the "biggest point" earned by Team Trump when defense attorney Todd Blanche grilled Cohen about his communications with Trump's former bodyguard Keith Schiller.

"When he started talking about the harassing phone calls that Cohen was getting, I think a bunch of us looked at each other sort of quizzically being like, ‘What is this? Where is this going?’" Rubin said. "And then it became clear when he first brought up the text to Keith Schiller on October 24 after getting Cohen to reestablish that that was the day on which he called Schiller to reach Trump and that remained his testimony that he discussed with Trump that day, the resolution of the Stormy Daniels matter and that it was time to pay out Stormy."

"Once he connected up to the Keith Schiller text I thought, 'Oh, we're in for something here.' And indeed, we were," Rubin told MSNBC's Chris Jansing, "because Michael Cohen not only admitted that he is now less than certain about what got discussed that day and that it could have been both but he's not positive given the one minute and 30-something seconds of that phone call, but also that in eight years he had never seen that Keith Schiller text and that it was not among the things that the district attorney's office had shown him."

FORMER MICHAEL COHEN ADVISER: ‘HE TOLD ME HE HAD NOTHING ON TRUMP,’ STORMY NDA WAS ‘HIS IDEA’

"That makes the district attorney's office look sloppy in addition to making Michael Cohen seem like a self-assured either fabricator, liar or forgetful person. It casts doubt on the veracity of a ton of his testimony and not just about who he did or didn't talk to on October 24 or October 26. It sort of cast lots of his testimony in doubt, given the passage of time and makes the district attorney's office look terrible all in one breath," Rubin continued.

"This is a moment of real triumph for Todd Blanche, you can even hear it in his voice. He is not a person to get excitable very easily," Rubin added before calling it a "real point for the defense."

CNN analyst Elie Honig added that Cohen had his "knees chopped out" during cross-examination, while the New York Times' Jonathan Alter described the exchange as "pay dirt" for Trump's defense. Alter added Trump seemed happy even after the defense couldn't shake Cohen on another story about a payoff to ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal.

"Even so, I saw Trump smiling as he whispered to one of his lawyers. It was a good day for him," Alter wrote.

[JustWinBaby]

I'm told "lawfare" is a right-wing talking point, but I don't know what else to call this. The only person saying Trump committed a crime is Cohen. One person that could corroborate his story is CFO Weiselberg - why didn't the DA call him?

Frankly, the case should probably be dismissed. Which more than a few leftwing commentators said from the start this was an incredibly weak case that shouldn't have been brought. I think it might be even weaker than the effort to remove Trump from ballots.

Just don't call it lawfare or people might think you're a mouth-breathing MAGA sycophant.

It's going to be fun to watch almost everyone on this board completely flip their views and opinions when Trump does the same in revenge.

[Belsnickel]

(05-17-2024, 10:51 PM)JustWinBaby Wrote: I'm told "lawfare" is a right-wing talking point, but I don't know what else to call this. The only person saying Trump committed a crime is Cohen. One person that could corroborate his story is CFO Weiselberg - why didn't the DA call him?

The amount of evidence and testimony from others that backs up what Cohen is saying is huge. That really cannot be dismissed so easily.

As for Weiselberg, neither side wants to call him. He is an unknown factor at this point who could strike out at either or both sides in his testimony. Both sides have the ability to subpoena him, but they won't do it.

[Belsnickel]

So, I just had to pull this back up and laugh about how bad of a witness this guy was for the defense. When he was on the stand, he actually made Cohen more likable and believable to the jury because of his inability to control himself. The judge had to reprimand him, first just with the jury out of the room and then he had to clear the entire court, reporters and all, to tell him he was on notice for his contemptuous behavior. Then, when they bring everyone back, he is still being an ass and the jury apparently recognized it.

A lawyer for 50 or so years behaving in this way in the court room is just insane. It highlights just how damaging the Trump orbit is to people. He showed that he was anything but an impartial witness for the defense and really helped to make Cohen look better.

[GMDino]

(05-22-2024, 10:11 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: So, I just had to pull this back up and laugh about how bad of a witness this guy was for the defense. When he was on the stand, he actually made Cohen more likable and believable to the jury because of his inability to control himself. The judge had to reprimand him, first just with the jury out of the room and then he had to clear the entire court, reporters and all, to tell him he was on notice for his contemptuous behavior. Then, when they bring everyone back, he is still being an ass and the jury apparently recognized it.

A lawyer for 50 or so years behaving in this way in the court room is just insane. It highlights just how damaging the Trump orbit is to people. He showed that he was anything but an impartial witness for the defense and really helped to make Cohen look better.

Pretty much what I heard too.

I'd like to add that the right, Evangelicals and MAGA love a good redemption story.  The guy who was awful but now is doing what is best for the US and denying himself to be the leader we need!  

Unless it's someone who is going against Trump.

I wonder why?  

[*pally*]

Trump claims to hire "only the best people" but these are the people he hires and surrounds himself with. Sleazy...seriously, his entire entourage is sleazy. His entire staff is sleazy.

Where are these best people?