Legal Analyst On CNN Takes Issue With Jeffrey Toobin’s ‘Mafioso’ Description of Trump Witness Bob Costello: ‘For the Record,’ He’s Irish!’

Legal analyst Arthur Aidala took some offense at comments by fellow analyst Jeffrey Toobin – who described a witness in the hush money trial of former President Donald Trump as “mafioso.”

On Monday, Trump’s defense team called Bob Costello — a lawyer and advisor to Trump’s fixer Michael Cohen — to the stand for testimony that descended into courtroom-clearing chaos. During a segment on Monday’s Anderson Cooper 360, Toobin aimed to paint a lurid picture of Costello and drive home the significant role he played in Trump World:

Toobin: Let’s talk about the substance of Costello’s testimony, and let’s talk about Costello. Anybody remember the Mueller report? He’s actually a big figure. [Maggie Haberman] and I were just talking about this. The exchanges between him and and Cohen are, according to [former FBI Director] Robert Mueller, a dangling of a pardon from Donald Trump.

Anderson Cooper: He was allegedly sort of the emissary from Trump world to Cohen to dangle.

Toobin: Exactly, and that’s what you’re going to hear in the cross-examination tomorrow to add to this atmosphere of mafioso, stinking, corrupt relationship between Donald Trump and Michael Cohen.

Aidala chimed in immediately:

Aidala: For the record, Costello’s Irish. So, I know you’re talking about “mafioso” and a guy named “Costello.” For the record, he’s Irish.

Toobin: I didn’t, I meant–

Aidala: I’m a little sensitive to that word as a past president of the Italian-American Lawyers of New York.

Toobin: Of generic organized crime.

Watch the video above via CNN.