Judge Napolitano tells Newsmax that the Trump Team Didn’t Require Costello’s Testimony

According to former New Jersey Superior Court Judge Andrew Napolitano in an interview with Newsmax on Monday, he suggested that he would not have put lawyer Robert Costello on the witness stand in Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial if he were on Trump’s legal team.

Trump is currently facing 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying business records to cover a $130,000 payment by his former attorney Michael Cohen to porn actor Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges and maintains his innocence.

After the prosecution rested its case following Cohen’s testimony, which included an admission that he stole money from the Trump organization, Costello was called as the defense’s first witness.

In an interview on “Carl Higbie FRONTLINE,” Napolitano stated, “There is a tendency for lawyers to overcomplicate things. I believe that not putting up any defense would have sent a stronger message to the jury about the confidence in the case not being proven by the government.”

Napolitano further commented on Costello’s testimony, saying, “Putting Bob Costello on, as smart as he is, basically, it’s just a little fly in Michael Cohen’s ear.”

Costello, a former Manhattan prosecutor who now works as a defense lawyer, was an adviser to Cohen, who was previously convicted on charges of tax evasion, bank fraud, campaign-finance violations, and lying to Congress. Last week, Cohen testified before the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, where he refuted key points from his recent testimony against Trump.

Napolitano agreed with Judge Juan Merchan’s decision to deny the defense motion to dismiss the case, stating, “They did so much damage to Cohen there was no reason to do any more to divert the jury’s attention from the weakness in the government’s case.”

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