Donald Trump’s former personal attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, had gone to the roof and was considering jumping. For a long time, he had been emailing and texting the president to no avail. The problems between the two men had caused the attorney such pain that he was suicidal. His greatest fear was that the man he had idolized for a decade might have abandoned him.
The man who became his television attorney with no upfront money Robert Costello wrote to former New York mayor and Trump’s TV attorney Rudy Giuliani in a text, The New York Times reported:
‘Basically he needs a little loving and respect booster. He is not thinking clearly because he feels abandoned.’
Costello sent a text to Giuliani saying:
‘Are we going to meet Thursday or Friday? I would like to get back to Michael with a response.’
After Giuliani did not respond, Costello retweeted:
‘Can I get a response on the possible meeting?’
 Giuliani had an excuse. He had been out of the country:
‘Not yet because haven’t talked to President.’
Costello said:
‘What we had here was a failure to communicate. My mission was to get everyone tuned in to the same channel. My thought was a face-to-face meeting among all the lawyers together with Cohen would put everyone on the same channel. The meeting never happened, and the rest is history.’
Giuliani admitted this about his client’s attitude toward Cohen:
‘It seemed like an unfortunate but sensible decision. The more I look back at it, the more I wonder if it was inevitable that Michael was going to crack.’
A Cohen acquaintance and Costello’s law partner, Jeffrey Citron, wrote to Cohen:
‘I am really sorry to read about your troubles. My partner Bob Costello was formerly the deputy chief of the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District.’
Then, Citron added that should Cohen want to meet with Costello, he could make it happen:
‘(H)is insight into your situation, it would be my pleasure to arrange.’
That was when Cohen became excited:
‘I do. Can you connect me to him?’
Cohen had been at the end of his rope. Costello noted that the former fixer said:
‘I was up on the roof. I was thinking of jumping.’
Costello sent an email to Cohen right after Trump hired Giuliani:
‘I told you my relationship with Rudy which could be very very useful for you.’
Costello reported to Citron:
‘(Giuliani was) thrilled that I reached out to him about Cohen. (And Giuliani spoke about) calling the president tonight.’
In addition, Costello contacted Cohen by email and said:
‘I just spoke to Rudy Giuliani and told him I was on your team. Rudy was thrilled and said this could not be a better situation for the president or you. He said thank you for opening this back channel of communication and asked me to keep in touch.’
Trump complimented Cohen via Twitter, saying he was “a fine person.” He could not imagine that his former personal attorney would flip. Costello texted Giuliani and followed it up with an update to Cohen:
‘They are in our corner. You have friends in high places.’
At that point Cohen thought:
‘(H)e had the support of the White House if he continued to toe the party line. He determined to stay on message and be part of the team.’
Costello wrote to his partner Citron:
‘There are simply too many facts that he is not sharing with us to give me a level of comfort. I do not think that Rudy doing his Press Tour is helping us in our relationship with Michael Cohen.’
Costello emailed Cohen saying “keep on punching,” but Cohen did not respond. Undaunted, the attorney sent in all capital letters:
‘REACHED THE CONCLUSION THAT THERE IS NO RUSSIAN ANGLE TO THE MICHAEL COHEN INVESTIGATION OTHERWISE HE WOULD HAVE KEPT THE CASE FOR HIMSELF.’
Costello also pointed at a text to Giuliani, then reminded Cohen about an email to Citron:
‘(Who) thought it was very important to get that message out there. (But Giuliani cannot look as if) he is defending Michael Cohen.’
Cohen’s attorney Cohen sent his client a link to Giuliani’s interview. The former fixer asked “Why send this to me?” Costello replied:
‘You are under the impression that Trump and Giuliani are trying to discredit you. I think you are wrong because you are believing the narrative promoted by the left-wing media.’
A Trump Organization noted that Cohen caused his own legal problems. Attorney Marc Mukasey said:
‘He should quit lying and take responsibility for his actions. The idea that the Trump Organization should have paid his legal fees and expenses is a total crock.’
Costello wrote his partner Citron about Cohen:
‘Is he totally nuts??? He is playing with the most powerful man on the planet.’
The judge had just sentenced Cohen to three years in prison. The comedian and actor Tom Arnold had posted his selfie with the fixer’s, and the actor’s comment they were working to take down Trump. Soon Arnold clarified it in a much softer message. Costello texted Giuliani the clarification:
‘Make sure your client knows this. He will sleep better’
Cohen appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America and said:
‘My wife, my daughter and my son have my first loyalty and always will.’
Next, Costello sent Cohen an email:
‘We will not be involved in that journey and therefore Jeff Citron asked me to let you know that he will be sending you a bill.’
Cohen testified in court that he had, indeed, covered up two sex scandals involving Trump by arranging hush money at Trump’s direction. That made the president an unindicted co-conspirator. The president’s former fixer said:
“Time and time again, I felt it was my duty to cover up his (Trump’s) dirty deeds.’
