Mueller office disputes report Trump ordered lawyer Michael Cohen to lie to US Congress about Russia hotel deal
- Special counsel’s team said it has accuracy issues with Buzzfeed article’s description of statements, characterisation of documents and testimony
- US President Donald Trump also rejected the claims, saying his former fixer was now ‘lying to reduce his jail time’
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office has taken the rare step of disputing a news report on his Russia investigation, saying a BuzzFeed article alleging that US President Donald Trump directed his former lawyer to lie to Congress is “not accurate.”
Trump’s lieutenants had already strongly pushed back against the report, which said the president ordered Michael Cohen to lie about a Russian skyscraper project they pursued during the 2016 election.
“BuzzFeed’s description of specific statements to the Special Counsel’s Office, and characterisation of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen’s Congressional testimony are not accurate,” spokesman Peter Carr said in a statement.
Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 vote and possible collusion between Trump’s campaign and Moscow is the subject of frequent articles and even more frequent speculation. But it is extremely rare – if not unprecedented – for Mueller’s office to issue such a statement.
BuzzFeed’s editor-in chief, however, said the news organisation stood by its work. “We stand by our reporting and the sources who informed it, and we urge the Special Counsel to make clear what he’s disputing,” Ben Smith tweeted.