Ryan’s attorney Dan Webb questioned Fawell closely on his motives for testifying---coming back to Fawell’s earlier comment to government attorneys: that they had his head in a vise.
Ryan’s former aide has said repeatedly that he agreed to a goverment deal:
if he testified against Ryan, federal prosecutors would help his fiancee, Andrea Coutretsis, avoid going to prison on separate charges.
They also said they’d shorten Fawell’s sentence.
Webb is trying to show this makes Fawell an unreliable witness--one who’s willing to smear Ryan to get what he wants.
He asked Fawell if that was why he’d stopped the wisecracking that characterized his first days in court.
Fawell agreed, saying he didn’t want the government go back on its promise.
And yesterday, as on Tuesday, a question about Coutretsis moved Fawell to tears.
Once again the judge called a recess and excused the jury until Fawell could get himself back together.