Ex-Trump attorney likens Michael Cohen's hush money trial admissions to 'animal sacrifice'
Michael Cohen's credibility with the hush money trial jury is in the pits after a chaotic day in Manhattan criminal court, according to former President Donald Trump's ex-lawyer.
William Brennan appeared Monday on CNN's "The Situation Room" to discuss the conclusion of Cohen's cross examination at the hands of Trump's lead attorney Todd Blanche.
"Stealing from his client?" Brennan exclaimed. "In the world of attorney discipline that's like first-degree murder. The only thing he hasn't done is an animal sacrifice."
Cohen, Trump's former attorney, admitted on the witness stand Monday that pocketed $30,000 from his former employer, the Trump Organization.
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As Cohen explained during his testimony, Trump had an outstanding bill of $50,000 from a tech company called Red Finch that he had initially dodged paying.
The Trump Organization gave Cohen the $50,000 needed to repay the firm. But when it came time to pay the company, Cohen gave them $20,000 and kept the remaining remaining $30,000.
“So you stole from the Trump Organization?” demanded Blanche.
“Yes, sir,” Cohen answered.
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Brennan told anchor Wolf Blitzer he felt that Blanche had "knocked it out of the park," but then pivoted to condemn the testimony of attorney Robert Costello whose questionable courtroom antics antagonized Justice Juan Merchan to the extreme.
"Having spent a lot of time in front of Judge Merchan myself, he's out of central casting," declared Brennan. "This is [Steven] Spielberg's version of a judge — he's a very decent man."
Brennan called Costello's antics "foolish" for drawing attention away from the case.