Costello says Cohen told him, "I don’t have anything on Donald Trump" (2024)

Robert Costello is testifying about meeting with Michael Cohen in April 2018 and explaining to him that his legal issues would be resolved if "he had truthful information on Donald Trump and cooperated with the Southern District of New York."

Costello said at the meeting, Cohen told him, "I really want you to explain to me what my options are ‘What’s my escape route.’ That’s the phrase he used.”

Costello went on to say that Cohen said 10-12 times during the meeting, "I swear to God, Bob, I don’t have anything on Donald Trump."

Robert Costello says he met Michael Cohen at the Regency Hotel on April 17, 2018.

Costello says he was accompanied by Jeffrey Citron, one of his partners, at the meeting.

Cohen was "absolutely manic" throughout the two-hour meeting, Costello says.

"He kept on pacing back and forth, left and right," Costello says, while he and his law partner were seated.

Robert Costello was just sworn in.

He did not look at Trump's table when he walked to the witness stand.

Judge Juan Merchan rules that Trump attorney Emil Bove can question Robert Costello "as to two prior inconsistent statements. "

In addition, he says, "I will give you some latitude to explore the pressure campaign so you can elicit some inconsistencies and offer some rebuttal."

Merchan adds:

"I’m not going to allow this to become a trial within a trial as to whether there was, in fact, a pressure campaign and how it affected (Michael) Cohen. It’s not the purpose of this trial and I don’t want it to become that."

The jury is back in the courtroom.

Judge Juan Merchan is back on the bench after stepping away briefly.

He says he is going to take five minutes.

He told the parties to stay in the courtroom.

Donald Trump is leaning to whisper with his attorneys, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, at the defense table.

Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn is leaning over the gallery rail and calls Blanche over to talk briefly before returning to his seat in the second row.

Prosecutors have rested their criminal hush money case against Donald Trump, capping off weeks of a trial that could result in a historic felony conviction against a former president.

“That's a bigmoment in a trial. And this isvery much like you'd see in amovie. You get to — as theprosecutor — stand up and say, ‘your honor, at this point, theprosecution rests.’ That meansthey are done putting on theircase,” he added.

Remember: The prosecution called 20 witnesses, including high-profile ones like Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, and Hope Hicks in an effort to convince jurors that Trump falsified business documents to cover up a payment to Daniels shortly before the 2016 election which they claim impacted the outcome.

The trial started on April 15 with jury selection. The prosecution’s first witness, David Pecker, was called a week later on April 22.

Trump attorney Emil Bove says that Robert Costello is being called to rebut the prosecution's argument about a "supposed pressure campaign from President Trump."

Bove also says Trump's legal team let the prosecutors know they were likely to put Costello on the stand "days ago."

From that initial meeting, Bove said Costello's recollection is different from Michael Cohen's.

"Costello recalls Cohen saying President Trump did not know about the payment to Stephanie Clifford (Stormy Daniels). That’s extremely probative of the core issues in this case," Bove said.

Judge Juan Merchan asks Bove "you don't think the whole pressure campaign theory is collateral?"

Bove says not at all.

"The whole purpose of this was to make president trump sound threatening," Bove says. Merchan says he disagrees that was the purpose.

"I disagree that Mr. Costello can testify about Cohen’s state of mind. I’ll consider some of your other arguments but I’ll disagree to that," judge says.