I Say Again: This Is Not A Legal Defense

look at how rapidly he's decompensating pic.twitter.com/tHmsgXFV5r

— The Ghost of GC 🌻 (@gtconway3dg) March 19, 2023

It's just crude ad hominem and a pack of lies. That's all it is. Period. End of story. Fin.

I know his lawyers think they have a defense, but at this point nobody even knows what the charges will be.

This seems to suggest that Costello is tomorrow's witness, and Cohen is the rebuttal. And it would support a witness tampering charge, which Costello would be part of.

This would explain both how this became a felony and the timing (the alleged tampering was in April 2018). https://t.co/DAx2Je14xz

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) March 19, 2023

Informed speculation is that the witness being called tomorrow is Robert Costello.

That didn't make the NYT story on Costello's upcoming testimony. Neither did this:https://t.co/7H85WetilZ pic.twitter.com/47cXVp7ksH

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) March 19, 2023

To be clear: Michael Cohen is not a great witness and Lanny Davis is an even more sketchy lawyer.

But NY based reporters may be missing some of Costello's latest hits himself.

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) March 19, 2023

As a reminder, Costello features prominently in Hunter Biden's countersuit against Mac Isaac.https://t.co/4luh1utbX7

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) March 19, 2023

Costello is being called at the request of Trump's attorneys, to attack Cohen's testimony, presumably.

U ok? pic.twitter.com/e1pSgvWTas

— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) March 19, 2023

Okay, take away "presumably."

Former Cohen legal advisor Robert Costello confirms he is the witness Trump team requested be called before Manhattan grand jury to speak to Cohen’s credibility. https://t.co/NzRUBxXCve

— Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCNN) March 19, 2023

Take it away completely. But he's not the silver bullet Trump expects (Trump's desperation is downright palbable. I can feel it all the way across the Gulf.) In fact, I'm guessing Trump has this guy on speed-dial:

“the next Mandela” lol https://t.co/aXrVt9QM9s

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) March 19, 2023

You know, like some people need a "comfort animal."

Cohen will probably be called back to the grand jury by the prosecutor for rebuttal testimony. So Tuesday looks less and less likely as "D-Day."

Trump also wants to go to New York and make a spectacle of himself in front of reporters.  I've seen opinions from criminal lawyers that such displays will not sit well with judges who decide whether you get out on bond, and whether they make your release conditional on keeping your mouth shut.

I say again: Trump has never faced legal trouble like this before (Maggie Haberman intimated he'd been charged criminally before, but I'm unaware of it.  In any case, I think these charges are much more serious, and Trump's stunts won't be taken kindly after Jan. 6th.).  He's going to throw himself at that buzzsaw thinking it's his salvation in the court of public opinion.  But his supporters are thin on the ground, mighty though they be in the GOP primary system.

Trump has no idea what he's in for.  IMH and inexpert O.