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Edited by: TJVNews.com
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Michael Turner (R-Ohio) has formally requested Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Michael Cohen after the former attorney for Donald Trump admitted to lying to Congress during an ongoing civil fraud trial, as was reported by the New York Post. The request comes as Cohen, once Trump’s “fixer,” acknowledged providing false testimony before the House Intelligence Committee in 2019.
Cohen, who previously served a three-year prison term for lying to the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2017 and other offenses, is now under scrutiny for his recent admission during Trump’s New York fraud trial on October 25. The Post report indicated that in court, Cohen confirmed that he had lied to the House panel in February 2019, a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in prison.
The Post report also said that while under oath before the committee, Cohen said: “Did he ask me to inflate the numbers? Not that I recall, no” — before testifying in court last month that Trump had done just that.
Cohen testified in the trial, “I was tasked by Mr. Trump to increase the total assets based upon a number that he arbitrarily elected … and my responsibility, along with [then-Trump Organization CFO] Allen Weisselberg, primarily, was to reverse engineer,” the Post report added.
During his sworn testimony before the House Intelligence Committee in 2019, Cohen had denied Trump’s involvement in instructing him to inflate personal financial statements, the report in the Post said. However, in the recent New York trial, Cohen reversed his stance, stating, “I was tasked by Mr. Trump to increase the total assets based upon a number that he arbitrarily elected … and my responsibility, along with [then-Trump Organization CFO] Allen Weisselberg, primarily, was to reverse engineer.”
Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, confronted Cohen about the inconsistency during the trial, to which Cohen openly admitted to lying under oath in February 2019, according to the Post report. The admission raised concerns about potential perjury and false testimony.
In a letter co-signed by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), chair of the House Republican Conference, Turner addressed Attorney General Garland, expressing alarm at Cohen’s willingness to openly admit to lying to Congress during the New York trial, the Post reported. The letter highlighted the inconsistency between Cohen’s recent testimony and his statements before the House Intelligence Committee in 2019.
Turner and Stefanik emphasized the heightened suspicion arising from Cohen’s prior conviction for lying to Congress, calling for a thorough investigation into whether Cohen’s recent testimony warrants additional charges. According to the Post, they specifically mentioned the violation of federal statutes, citing 18 U.S.C. §§ 1001 or 1621.
The Justice Department has acknowledged the receipt of the letter but has not provided additional comments regarding the request. The Post report also said that the call for an investigation reflects the committee’s commitment to upholding the integrity of congressional testimony and addressing potential legal implications stemming from false statements made under oath.
While the department has not commented on the request, Cohen, now 57, has responded, asserting that the situation is more complex than suggested by Turner and Stefanik.
In a phone interview with The Post, Cohen, a disbarred lawyer, expressed no concern about the committee’s request, stating, “They’re mischaracterizing what transpired.” In a subsequent written statement, Cohen emphasized that he “accurately” testified to Congress in 2019 because Trump typically communicated his desires in generalities, not specifics.
The Post report also indicated that Cohen accused Turner and Stefanik of doing “Donald’s bidding in witness tampering and obstruction of justice,” asserting that the two members failed to understand the distinction between explicit and implied instructions. He claimed that the committee transcript from 2019 revealed Trump’s interest in climbing the Forbes 400 rich list, which Cohen interpreted as a request to provide inflated financial information to the magazine, as was reported by the Post.
The ongoing dispute between Cohen and the committee underscores the complexity of legal interpretations and the challenges in determining the accuracy of statements made before Congress. Cohen’s rift with Trump dates back to 2018 when he pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about a Moscow real estate project, among other charges.
Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is currently facing a civil fraud trial that marks a significant episode in the upcoming campaign. Additionally, Trump may encounter four criminal trials involving allegations of hush money, mishandling classified documents, and attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.
The request for an investigation into Cohen’s testimony highlights the rare occurrence of public figures being prosecuted for lying to Congress. The issue raises comparisons with past cases, such as former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who managed to avoid charges for false testimony in 2013 about mass data collection before whistleblower Edward Snowden’s revelations.
As legal scrutiny intensifies, the unfolding developments involving Cohen and the House Intelligence Committee may play a significant role in shaping the narrative around the upcoming political landscape.
