Trump celebrates as lawyer to slap down Michael Cohen claims

‘They’re Communists, Marxists, RINOs and losers!’ Trump launches scathing attack on ‘animals and thugs’ who ‘are plotting arrest on Tuesday’ – as ally ‘prepares to slap down Michael Cohen in court tomorrow’

• A Manhattan grand jury is believed to be edging closer to deciding whether to indict Donald Trump over hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels
• One of the key witnesses against Trump is Michael Cohen, his former lawyer, who made the payments to Daniels and has admitted he covered it up
• On Sunday evening Trump announced there was a ‘highly respected lawyer’ who was readying to testify against Cohen and undermine his story 

Donald Trump on Sunday denounced the ‘animals and thugs’ he said were readying to arrest him, saying they were ‘purposefully destroying our country’.

With a Manhattan grand jury believed to be close to making a decision on whether to indict Trump over his payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels – payments which may have violated campaign finance rules – the 76-year-old lashed out at those against him.

‘REMEMBER, THE SAME ANIMALS AND THUGS THAT WOULD DO THIS TO PERHAPS 200 MILLION PEOPLE, BUT ACTUALLY ALL AMERICANS, ARE THE COMMUNISTS, MARXISTS, RINOS, AND LOSERS THAT ARE PURPOSEFULLY DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY!’ he wrote on his social media platform, Truth Media. 

Trump on Saturday said he believed he ‘WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK’. 

Earlier, Trump predicted that the testimony from his former lawyer Michael Cohen, who has turned against him, would be shredded by a witness his lawyers had convinced to speak to the grand jury.

Donald Trump is seen on Saturday at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Trump did not name the person who would be attacking Cohen, but The New York Times reported it was Robert Costello, who once gave Cohen legal advice but then turned against him. Costello has been asked to testify by Trump’s lawyers, the paper reported. 

Trump said Costello would be ‘the most important witness’ before the grand jury.

He called Cohen a ‘convicted felon, jailbird and serial fake storyteller and liar’. 

‘JUST REPORTED THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT WITNESS TO GO BEFORE THE NEW YORK CITY GRAND JURY, A HIGHLY RESPECTED LAWYER WHO ONCE REPRESENTED CONVICTED FELON, JAILBIRD, AND SERIAL FAKE STORYTELLER AND LIAR, MICHAEL COHEN, WILL BE DOING SO TOMORROW AFTERNOON,’ Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. 

‘THE INFORMATION HE WILL PRESENT WILL SUPPOSEDLY BE CONCLUSIVE AND IRREFUTABLE! WITCH HUNT!!!’

Costello is being called by Trump’s lawyers solely to undermine Cohen’s credibility.

Costello served as a legal advisor to Cohen when Trump was in the White House, and Cohen was being questioned over the payments to the porn star.

Michael Cohen (left) has testified before a grand jury, and now his former legal advisor Robert Costello (right) will attempt to undermine Cohen’s story

Costello wrote to Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s lawyer in the White House, and said that Cohen ‘feels abandoned’ by the then-president.

Cohen ultimately turned against Trump, and Costello.

In December 2018 Cohen was sentenced to three years in federal prison and ordered to pay a $50,000 fine after pleading guilty to tax evasion and campaign-finance violations.

In all, he spent about 13 1/2 months behind prison walls and a year and a half in home confinement. His time was further reduced through good behavior.

Cohen has since spoken extensively to prosecutors about a $130,000 payment to Daniels, which was reimbursed by Trump’s business empire during the heat of the 2016 campaign.

Cohen is seen with Trump and Mike Pence in September 2016, around the time he was arranging the hush money payments

Cohen is seen on March 15 leaving court having testified before a grand jury

Prosecutors said those secret payouts were not reported as campaign contributions and violated the ban on corporate contributions and the $2,700 limit on donations by an individual.

Cohen last week testified before the grand jury investigating the legality of the payments – becoming at least the eighth person to speak to the panel.

Cohen is believed to be one of the last people the grand jury will hear from.

The office of the Manhattan prosecutor, Alvin Bragg, informed Trump’s lawyers that the former president could appear before the grand jury this week should he want to do so. 

Such offers almost always indicate an indictment is close.

Under New York law, a person who is expected to be indicted can request that a witness appear on his or her behalf. 

Trump’s lawyers have asked that Costello testify. 

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