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Defendant is charged in federal court with distributing fentanyl. The government's key witness, Runner, testifies that Defendant gave him the drugs. On cross-examination, Runner denies receiving any benefit for testifying and denies having any reason to dislike Defendant.
Defendant offers three items: a written cooperation agreement stating that prosecutors will tell Runner's sentencing judge about his assistance; payment records showing that Runner received $2,400 from a federal task force as a confidential source in this investigation; and text messages in which Runner told a friend, "I hope they bury Defendant after what he did to my brother." The prosecutor argues that these are specific instances of conduct barred by Rule 608(b) and that Runner already denied bias, so the defense is stuck with his answers.
How should the court analyze Defendant's proposed impeachment evidence? Discuss bias, extrinsic proof, Rule 608(b), Rule 403, and the court's control over cross-examination.