Tag: Michael Cohen

Rep. David Cicilline says Sean Hannity should be subpoenaed over Michael Cohen

Credit: Jim Lo Scalzo, Epa, REX, Shutterstock

Fox News host asserts in interview with Trump that Cohen gave him information that conflicts with his Oversight testimony

Fox News host Sean Hannity appeared to insert himself into the congressional investigation of President Donald Trump in an interview with Trump aired Thursday night, leading to speculation that he could be subpoenaed.

Hannity asserted to the president that Michael Cohen, Trump’s former attorney who testified in front of the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, gave him information that conflicts with Cohen’s testimony.

Cohen explained to the committee that Trump directed him to make illegal hush money payments to pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels.

View the complete March 1 article by Ben Peters on The Roll Call website here.

Trump CFO Weisselberg emerges as key person of interest for Dems

The spotlight is shining brightly on the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer following explosive testimony this week from Michael Cohen, who repeatedly pointed to Allen Weisselberg as someone who could tell Congress all it wants to know about the president’s business.

Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer, told lawmakers on the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Wednesday that Weisselberg would be able to support allegations that President Trump knew about hush money payments made to women alleging affairs with Trump, and that he could provide details on the president’s potentially illegal tax practices.

Weisselberg reportedly has an immunity deal with federal prosecutors in New York, who Cohen said Wednesday are investigating other alleged illegal acts involving Trump. If he appeared before Congress — and several Democrats are signaling they want him to — it could give lawmakers an opening to learn what those prosecutors have already found out.

View the complete March 1 article by Jacqueline Thomsen and Brett Samuels on The Hill website here.

House Democrats see new probes in Cohen’s testimony

Michael Cohen was asked who else Democrats should investigate during his testimony before the House Oversight Committee Feb. 27. Here is who he named. (Video: Taylor Turner/Photo: Danielle Kunitz/The Washington Post)

House Democrats on Thursday made plans to dig deeper into President Trump’s business and charity, using testimony from former Trump attorney Michael Cohen as a road map to call new witnesses and seek new internal documents.

The House Intelligence Committee said it anticipates bringing in for questioning the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg. It also plans to interview Felix Sater, a former Trump business associate who helped Trump develop a hotel in Manhattan.

The House Financial Services Committee said it would look into the Donald J. Trump Foundation, Trump’s charity. The Intelligence Committee expressed interest in Cohen’s comments on Russia. And Ways and Means Committee members again discussed the best way to obtain Trump’s tax returns.

Michael Cohen draws intricate picture of how Trump operated his business, personal empire

Credit: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

“Everybody’s job at the Trump Organization was to protect Trump”

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, described in intimate detail Wednesday how his onetime boss ran his real estate empire and conducted his personal business — from the intense loyalty he demanded of his top advisers, to deploying Trump Organization employees to physically intimidate his enemies, to fudging his financial statements whenever it suited his interests.

Republicans on the House Oversight and Reform Committee warned their Democratic counterparts that Cohen is someone whose testimony could not be trusted — Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, the panel’s top Republican, called him an “admitted liar.” Cohen will report to prison in May for a three-year sentence after pleading guilty last year to one count of lying to Congress and multiple counts of financial fraud.

That warning did not stop the majority from questioning Cohen for roughly six hours Wednesday, as the former Trump fixer implicated the president, his two oldest sons, and Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg in running an operation rife with financial fraud, deceit and intimidation tactics.

View the complete February 28 article by Griffin Connolly on The Roll Call website here.

Highlights of Michael Cohen’s Testimony Before Congress

Couldn’t watch the Cohen hearing on Wednesday? Here’s The New York Times recap:

View the complete February 28 post by Sarah Stein Kerr and Alnara Tiefenthler on The New York Times website here.

Cohen claims batter Trump

Michael Cohen offered riveting testimony about his allegations against President Trump on Wednesday, laying into his former boss as a “racist” and a “cheat” in a packed House Oversight and Reform Committee room.

A decidedly contrite Cohen said he was ashamed of things he had done as Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer, saying he had paid for his loyalty dearly.

“I blindly followed his demands,” Cohen said in closing remarks after more than seven hours of testimony. “My loyalty to Mr. Trump has cost me everything.”

View the complete February 27 article by Morgan Chalfant, Olivia Beavers and Jacqueline Thomsen on The Hill website here.

Republicans are mad that Cohen said Trump is racist. The president’s record speaks for itself.

Michael Cohen, former attorney and fixer for President Trump testifies before the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill February 27, 2019 in Washington, DC. . Credit: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

President Trump has publicly done or said racist things for decades. Republicans are now studiously avoiding his record.

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee invited a black federal employee to appear in Michael Cohen’s hearing Wednesday, to make the point that President Donald Trump could not possibly be racist, as Cohen has alleged.

In his opening statements, Cohen said he heard Trump call black people stupid, and claimed the president once asked if any country run by a black person was not a “shithole.” Barack Obama was president at the time, according to Cohen.

Lynne Patton, a Trump appointee in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, stood behind Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), who spoke for her.

View the complete February 27 article by Emily Q. Hazzard on the ThinkProgress website here.

Matt Gaetz under investigation by Florida Bar over Cohen tweet

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-FL., watches as Michael Cohen, former attorney for President Donald Trump, testifies during the House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 election on Feb. 27, 2019. Credit: Bill Clark, CQ Roll Call

Florida Republican says he has apologized to Cohen personally

The Florida Bar has opened an investigation into a tweet sent by Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz on Tuesday that appeared to be an attempt to intimidate President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen the day before he was to testify against his old boss.

The Florida Bar confirmed to Roll Call on Wednesday afternoon that it has begun investigating Gaetz’s tweet. It would not release any additional information, citing confidentiality rules.

“Any time the words or actions of a Florida lawyer result in complaints, The Florida Bar will fully investigate those complaints through its established grievance process to determine if Bar rules have been violated,” Florida Bar spokeswoman Francine Andía Walker said.

View the complete February 27 article by Chris Cioffi on The Roll Call website here.

Cohen implicates Trump’s sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, in mistress hush money scheme

Michael Cohen, former attorney for President Donald Trump, testifies to the House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on Wednesday. Credit: Bill Clark, CQ Roll Call

Trump’s former lawyer and fixer was asked if he is aware of any other illegal acts that haven’t come to light

This is a developing story. Follow this page for updates on the latest from the Cohen hearing.

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, said Wednesday that Trump’s business operation is being investigated for illegal acts that haven’t yet been publicly disclosed.

Asked by Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of  Illinois if he was aware of any other wrongdoing or illegal acts that hadn’t yet been discussed in his testimony before the House Oversight Committee, Cohen replied, “Yes … those are part of the investigation that’s currently being looked at by the Southern District of New York,” referring to the Manhattan-based U.S. attorney’s that would have jurisdiction over Trump’s business empire’s headquarters.

Cohen is providing unprecedented insight to the Oversight Committee into how Trump ran his business empire for more than a decade.

View the complete February 27 article by Griffin Connolly on The Roll Call website here.

Michael Cohen’s testimony: Trump’s former personal lawyer alleges the president knew in advance of WikiLeaks plan

Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former fixer and personal lawyer, returned to Capitol Hill on Wednesday for a House Oversight Committee hearing. Here are the highlights of his testimony so far.

  • Cohen has alleged that Trump knew in advance that the anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks planned to publish hacked Democratic National Committee emails.
  • He has sparred aggressively with GOP lawmakers, who have questioned his credibility and motives for coming forward.
  • He detailed how deeply and personally involved Trump was in the scheme to pay off an adult-film actress who alleged that she had an affair with Trump.
  • He described how he, like many in Trump’s orbit, had long sought to protect the president, but made clear: “I am not protecting Mr. Trump anymore.”
  • He has suggested that federal prosecutors are investigating unspecified criminal allegations involving the president that have not been made public.

View the complete February 27 article by Matt Zapotosky, Karoun Demirjian, Rosalind S. Helderman and Rachael Bade on The Washington Post website here.