Michael Cohen testifies before House committee
By Mark Moore
Michael Cohen, President Trump’s onetime lawyer who once said he’d “take a bullet” for his boss, completed his remarkable reversal Wednesday when he testified before a House panel and accused Trump of being a “racist,” a “cheat” and a “con man.” SEE ALSO Michael Cohen releases alleged hush-money checks signed by Trump Michael Cohen releases alleged hush-money checks signed by Trump In prepared testimony to the House Oversight Committee, Cohen laid out a stunning string of allegations about
Trump during his nationally televised appearance. Cohen, who had worked for Trump and his business since 2007, said he is ashamed of the actions he took for Trump to “protect and promote him.” “I am ashamed that I chose to take part in concealing Mr. Trump’s illicit acts rather than listening to my own conscience,” he said. “I am ashamed because I know what Mr. Trump is. He is a racist. He is a conman. He is a cheat.”
Among his explosive allegations, Cohen said Trump was aware that adviser Roger Stone was working with Julian Assange and WikiLeaks about the release of emails belonging to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee. Cohen also claimed that he lied to Congress about the continuing negotiations during the 2016 campaign for a Trump Tower in Moscow because Trump made it known that he should.
The wire made to Stormy from Michael Cohen’s personal account The wire made to Stormy Daniels from Michael Cohen’s personal account “In conversations we had during the campaign, at the same time I was actively negotiating in Russia for him, he would look me in the eye and tell me there’s no business in Russia and then go out and lie to the American people by saying the same thing,” Cohen said. “In his way, he was telling me to lie.”
He produced documents and receipts as evidence to back up his allegations. After paying porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 shortly before the 2016 election to ensure her silence about an affair she alleges she had with Trump a decade before, Cohen said the president reimbursed him with a check from his personal bank account. He included a copy of a $35,000 check made out to him from Trump on Aug. 1, 2017, from the president’s Capital One account. It was signed in Trump’s distinctive handwriting.
Copies of the checks released by Michael Cohen. Copies of the checks released by Michael Cohen The check, Cohen said, is reimbursement for the $130,000 he paid to Daniels’ attorney with money from his own pocket. SEE ALSO Michael Cohen Read Michael Cohen’s prepared statement to Congress It was one of 11 checks he received that year from the president.
According to Cohen, Trump’s presidential run was designed to enhance the brand of his global real estate company. “Donald Trump is a man who ran for office to make his brand great, not to make our country great. He had no desire or intention to lead this nation — only to market himself and to build his wealth and power,” Cohen said. “Mr. Trump would often say, this campaign was going to be the ‘greatest infomercial in political history.’”
He also addressed his credibility. “I have lied, but I am not a liar. I have done bad things, but I am not a bad man. I have fixed things, but I am no longer your ‘fixer,’” Cohen said. His testimony comes as Trump is in Vietnam holding a second summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. The president addressed Cohen’s appearance from Hanoi. “Michael Cohen was one of many lawyers who represented me (unfortunately). He had other clients also. He was just disbarred by the State Supreme Court for lying & fraud. He did bad things unrelated to Trump. He is lying in order to reduce his prison time. Using Crooked’s lawyer!,” he posted on his Twitter account, referring to Cohen adviser Lanny Davis.
Cohen, who was disbarred on Tuesday, is to report to prison on May 6 to begin serving a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to lying to Congress, tax evasion and campaign finance violations.
