Michael Cohen is an unreliable witness on which to base an indictment of Donald Trump, lawyer Bob Costello told reporters after Costello testified for the defense Monday before the Manhattan grand jury probing the former president, ABC News reported.
At question is Trump's alleged role is a hush-money payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels. Costello appeared before the grand jury as an exculpatory witness after the former president's legal team requested that the DA permit him to testify.
"I'm trying to tell the truth to the grand jury," said Costello, a longtime Trump ally. "If they want to go after Donald Trump and they have solid evidence, then so be it. Michael Cohen is not solid evidence."
Costello, who testified for about 2 1/2 hours, said that Cohen is "on the revenge tour" after Cohen spent time in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges related to the payment, according to ABC News.
Cohen gave $130,000 to Daniels near the end of the 2016 presidential campaign to allegedly keep her from revealing an affair she claimed to have had with Trump. The former president has denied the affair and his attorneys have said the funds were an extortion payment.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is weighing whether to charge the former president with falsifying business records, after the Trump Organization allegedly reimbursed Cohen for the payment and then recorded the reimbursement as a legal expense, sources have told ABC News.
Trump, who has called the payment "a private contract between two parties" has denied all wrongdoing.
The former president wrote on Truth Social on Saturday that he was expecting to be arrested on Tuesday and urged his followers to protest the decision.