Cohen testimony: Trump’s ex-lawyer claims ‘criminal conspiracy’ and gives dire warning to Congress in public testimony
Cohen said he is worried that there will 'never be another peaceful transfer of power' if Mr Trump loses re-election in 2020
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s ex-lawyer, has given dramatic testimony before the House Oversight Committee, were he discussed a criminal conspiracy involving the president, his oldest son Donald Trump Jr, and the chief financial officer of the Trump Organisation, Allen Weisselberg — and then cast the president as an existential threat to American democracy.
During one particularly notable exchange, Cohen was asked by Democratic Representative Ro Khanna about a cheque making a payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, which he called a "smoking gun" that proves several individuals were involved in the conspiracy.
"Are you telling us, Mr Cohen, that the president directed transactions in conspiracy with Allen Weisselberg and his son, Donald Trump Jr, as part of a criminal conspiracy of financial fraud?" Mr Khanna asked in relation to the cheque. "Is that your testimony today?"
"Yes," Cohen said.
Cohen, who will serve a three year prison sentence starting in May, said during his testimony that he believes the US is at a critical juncture in its history. Mr Trump, a man who Cohen once said he would take a bullet for, is a threat to American democracy, he said.
"If he loses the [2020] election, I worry there would never be a peaceful transition of power," he said.
Throughout his hours-long testimony on Wednesday, Cohen said that he is remorseful for ever allowing himself to end up in Mr Trump's inner circle. Cohen, who worked as the president's private attorney for a decade said that he had caused considerable damage to his family and reputation — and repeatedly apologised even as Republicans questioned why they should believe his testimony given he pleaded guilty to lying to Congress once before already.
“I am ashamed that I chose to take part in concealing Mr Trump’s illicit acts rather than listening to my own conscience,” Cohen said.
Cohen also suggested that the president was aware that political consultant Roger Stone was in discussion with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange about the site’s access to stolen Democratic National Committee emails.
The president's former personal attorney said that he was in a room when Mr Stone told Mr Trump about the leaks, and that nobody made an effort to contact the FBI regarding those leaks.
See below how we covered this story live
Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load
Freshman Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is now questioning Cohen.
Here is from earlier, where Cohen said the president and others are implicated in a criminal conspiracy:
"Are you telling us, Mr Cohen, that the president directed transactions in conspiracy with Allen Weisselberg and his son, Donald Trump Jr., as part of a criminal conspiracy of financial fraud?" Representative Ro Khanna asked regarding a cheque made out to Stormy Daniels. "Is that your testimony today?"
"Yes," Cohen said.
Cohen suggested that he could not answer questions several times today, saying that there is an ongoing investigation in the Southern District of New York.
Cohen is delivering his closing remarks, and they are quite shocking.
He said that he felt compelled to testify because he believes Donald Trump is a major threat to the United States government.
If he loses in 2020, Cohen said, he worries there will "never be a peaceful transfer of power."
Earlier, Representative Rashida Tlaib and Representative Mark Meadows got into a heated exchange after she critcised his decision to bring Lynne Patton — a black employee of the Department of Housing and Urban Development — to the hearing to stand as proof that the president is not racist.
Cohen has called the president racist several times today. But, Mr Meadows took offense when Ms Tlaib criticised him for bringing Ms Patton to the hearing as a prop to absolve Donald Trump of racism.
Ms Tlaib responded: "No Mr Chairman, I did not mean to call Mr Meadows a racist."
"I'm just saying it is a racist act," she said.
Things got busy, but here is Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez questioning Cohen earlier:
Representative Elijah Cummings is now wrapping things up. He notes that the president has made misleading statements over 8,000 times, and has said he is "pained" by the state of the United States.
Mr Cummings broke down what it means for the president to call Cohen a "rat":
"When you call somebody a rat, that's one of the worst things you can call them because when you go to prison, that means a snitch. I'm just saying. So the president called you a rat — we're better than that. We really are," Mr Cummings said.
Mr Cummings left things with an impassioned plea for a return to normalcy.
He noted that Republicans have misled the American public by saying this is the first hearing of the committee during this Congress, when it in fact is not.
"We have got to get back to normal," Mr Cummings yelled before slamming his gavel to end the session.
And that is it for us! Thanks for joining us on this journey, y'all.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments