WE WOULD NEVER RECOVER FROM THAT
THAT.
ROBERT COSTELLO WAS LEGAL
ADVISER TO MICHAEL KOHN WHO MADE
THE PAYMENT TO STORMY DANIELS
AND HE JOINS US TONIGHT.
MR. COSTELLO, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR COMING ON.
>> YOU’RE WELCOME.
>> Tucker: WE CAN’T KNOW
WHETHER THERE’LL BE AN
INDICTMENT OR WHAT’S IN IT BUT
FROM THE LEAKS THAT YOU HAVE AND
SAY THE "NEW YORK TIMES," HOW DO
YOU ASSESS THIS CASE?
>> WEAK TO SAY THE LEAST.
I JUST SPENT TWO HOURS OR SO
TESTIFYING BEFORE THE GRAND JURY
IN DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN AND I GOT
MY POINT ACROSS, ALTHOUGH IT WAS
CLEAR TO ME THAT THE MANHATTAN
D.A.’S OFFICE DID NOT WANT TO
GET TO THE TRUTH.
I NEED TO EXPLAIN THAT A LITTLE
BIT.
I CALLED THEM UP AFTER I SAW
MICHAEL KOHN-COHEN ON TV STATING
THINGS HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO
TELL THE GRAND JURY AND HAD TOLD
THE GRAND JURY THAT WERE
CONTRARY TO WHAT HE TOLD US WHEN
WE FIRST REPRESENTED HIM IN
APRIL OF 2018.
SO I’M SITTING AT HOME WATCHING
THESE LIES AND I SAID I’VE GOT
DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
I DON’T REPRESENT DONALD TRUMP,
BUT I DO STAND FOR JUSTICE AND I
THINK I HAVE A LEGAL OBLIGATION
TO INFORM BOTH SIDES, SO THAT’S
WHAT I DID.
I HAD A TON OF DOCUMENTS THAT I
HAD PREPARED BACK IN 2019 FOR
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
THE U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
CALLED ME UP AND SAID,
"MR. COSTELLO, WE WOULD LIKE TO
TALK TO YOU ABOUT YOUR
REPRESENTATION OF MICHAEL
COHEN."
I LAUGHED AND SAID, CAN I
PRESUME YOU HAVE A WAIVER OF THE
ATTORNEY/CLIENT PRIVILEGE?"
"YOU PRESUME CORRECTLY."
"SEND IT OVER, I’LL BE HAPPY TO
TALK TO YOU."
THAT WAIVER IS VERY CLEAR.
ONCE WE HAD THAT, I PREPARED 330
E-MAILS, A BUNCH OF TEXT
MESSAGES, I PREPARED A
CONTEMPORANEOUS REPORT OF OUR
FIRST MEETING WITH MICHAEL COHEN
IN THE REGENCY HOTEL IN
MANHATTAN AS WELL AS A
CONTEMPORANEOUS NOTES OF THE
INTERVIEW I HAD WITH TWO HOURS
WITH THE U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
IN THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW
YORK AS WELL AS CONTEMPORANEOUS
NOTES OF AN INTERVIEW BY THE
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE
WHO SENT THREE INVESTIGATORS TO
MY OFFICE, ONE OF WHOM IS NOW
DAN GOLDMAN, A CONGRESSMAN HERE
IN NEW YORK.
SO I HAD ALL OF THIS MATERIAL
READY.
I SENT IT TO DONALD TRUMP’S
LAWYER AND I SENT IT TO THE
MANHATTAN D.A.’S OFFICE.
AND I CONTACTED THE MANHATTAN
D.A.’S OFFICE AND I ASKED CAN WE
MEET WITH ALVIN BRAGG, BECAUSE I
WANTED TO PRESENT THIS TO ALVIN
BRAGG AS I HAD PRESENTED IT TO
THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT.
I WANTED TO ASSESS MY
CREDIBILITY.
DID I HAVE MORE CREDIBILITY THAN
MICHAEL COHEN?
BECAUSE MICHAEL COHEN IN MY
OPINION WAS LYING ABOUT JUST
ABOUT EVERYTHING.
I SPECIFICALLY TOLD THEM THERE
WERE TWO MAIN POINTS THAT I
WANTED TO MAKE CLEAR, THAT COHEN
HAD TOLD US THAT WHEN WE FIRST
MET HIM THAT HE WAS SUICIDAL.
WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT?
BECAUSE WHEN YOU’RE SUICIDAL
THINKING THAT THAT’S THE ONLY
WAY OUT OF YOUR LEGAL MESS AND
YOU’RE PRESENTED WITH THE
FOLLOWING OPTIONS THAT YOU CAN
COOPERATE AGAINST DONALD TRUMP
AND PROVIDE INFORMATION THAT
WOULD GET YOU A GET OUT OF JAIL
FREE CARD AND YOU RESPOND TO US,
"I DO NOT HAVE ANY INFORMATION
ON DONALD TRUMP."
AND HE SAID IT MANY TIMES
THROUGHOUT THE TWO-HOUR MEETING.
"I SWEAR TO GOD, BOB.
I DON’T HAVE ANYTHING ON DONALD
TRUMP.
I HAD MY LAW PARTNER WHO KNEW
TRUMP FOR TWO YEARS IN COLUMBIA
PREP SCHOOL IN MANHATTAN BECAUSE
TRUMPCOHEN WAS ON THE BOARD."
I DIDN’T KNOW WHETHER HE WAS A
DRAMA QUEEN OR TELLING THE
TRUTH.
I LOOKED AT MY PARTNER.
HE SHOOK HIS HEAD AND NODDED "I
THINK HE’S TELLING THE TRUTH"
AND LATER ON WE GOT THAT
CORROBORATED BY THE REVEREND
JERRY FALWELL AND HIS WIFE THAT
HAD DIN WE’RE MICHAEL COMEN AND
TOLD HIM THE SAME THING.
WHY’S THAT IMPORTANT?
WHEN YOU’RE WILLING TO GIVE YOU
UP YOUR LIFE IN ORDER TO AVOID
THE LEGAL TROUBLES WHEN THEY’RE
INSURMOUNTABLE TO YOU AND YOU’RE
OFFERED A WAY OUT, "ALL YOU HAVE
TO DO IS TO COOPERATE ON DONALD
TRUMP.
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ON DONALD
TRUMP" AND HE SAYS "NO"
REPEATEDLY.
"I SWEAR TO GOD, BOB, I DON’T
HAVE ANYTHING" THEN YOU KNOW YOU
HAVE A GUY THAT DOESN’T HAVE
ANYTHING.
IT’S CERTAINLY EASIER TO GIVE UP
INFORMATION ON DONALD TRUMP THAN
IT IS TO KILL YOURSELF.
ON TOP OF THAT, WHILE HE’S
MAKING SPEECHES DURING THE
TWO-HOUR PERIOD, HE’S MARCHING
UP AND DOWN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF
THE CONFERENCE TABLE LIKE A
TIGER IN A ZOO.
BACK-AND-FORTH.
HE LOOKED LIKE HE HADN’T SLEPT
IN FIVE DAYS.
HE LOOKED LIKE SOMEONE WHO WAS
SUICIDAL.
EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, HE WOULD
STOP AND POINT AT US.
WHEN I SAY "ONCE IN A WHILE" HE
DID THIS AT LEAST 20 TIMES AND
HE SAID, "GUYS, I WILL LET YOU
KNOW I WILL DO WHATEVER THE F I
HAVE TO DO.
I WILL NEVER SPEND ONE DAY IN
JAIL."
WHAT HE’S SAYING IS I’LL LIE,
CHEAT, STEAL, SHOOT SOMEBODY BUT
I WILL NOT SPEND A DAY IN JAIL.
DO YOU THINK A GUY WHOSE
MENTALITY IS THAT IS GOING TO
NOT ADMIT HE HAS INFORMATION ON
DONALD TRUMP?
BUT HAVING SAID THAT, THE D.A.’S
OFFICE DIDN’T ASK ME QUESTIONS
TO BRING THAT UP.
AND I BROUGHT IT UP ANY WAY.
I DIDN’T -- I IGNORED THEIR
QUESTIONS AND SIMPLY GAVE THEM
THE INFORMATION.
I’M HEARING RAP IN MY EAR LEFT
AND RIGHT.
I’LL CONTINUE IF YOU WANT --
>> Tucker: LET ME ASK YOU ONE
FINAL QUESTION, IF IT’S OK,
MR. COSTELLO.
>> SURE.
>> Tucker: IF YOU’RE THE D.A.,
THE PROSECUTOR AND YOU’RE TRYING
TO BE FAIR AND HONEST AND SERVE
THE LAW RATHER THAN A POLITICAL
AGENDA, YOU WOULD WANT TO KNOW
THAT, WOULDN’T YOU?
>> ABSOLUTELY AND I TOLD THEM
AND I TOLD THE GRAND JURY TODAY
I WAS DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE
CRIMINAL DIVISION OF THE U.S.
ATTORNEYS FOR THE SOUTHERN
DISTRICT.
I SAID I WOULDN’T TOUCH A
WITNESS LIKE MICHAEL COHEN FOR
ANY AMOUNT.
MONEY.
YOU SIMPLY CANNOT RELY UPON THIS
GUY.
AND TONIGHT, HE WAS ON ANOTHER
STATION DENYING HE WAVED THE
ATTORNEY/CLIENT PRIVILEGE.
HERE IT IS IN WRITING AND THAT’S
HIS SIGNATURE ON THE SECOND PAGE
PAGE.
SO --
>> Tucker: THAT’S
UNBELIEVABLE.
>> I GUESS HE DIDN’T KNOW THAT
AND THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY DIDN’T
KNOW THAT, AND I TOLD THEM
"MICHAEL COHEN’S BEEN IN YOUR
OFFICE 20 TIMES AND TWICE IN THE
GRAND JURY AND HE FORGOT TO TELL
YOU HE WAVED THE ATTORNEY/CLIENT
PRIVILEGE 22 TIMES?"
I MEAN REALLY!
IS THIS THE KIND OF WITNESS YOU
WANT TO RIDE TO THE FINISH LINE?
NOT IN MY BOOK.
>> Tucker: I THINK ALL THEY
CARE ABOUT IS THE FINISH LINE.
I SURE APPRECIATE THE
INFORMATION THAT YOU BROUGHT US