Donald Trump’s ‘lies, racism and possible crimes’ to feature in ex-lawyer Michael Cohen’s testimony to Congress
- Cohen is expected to describe in vivid detail Trump’s supposedly improper business practices and crude comments
- He will be providing public testimony on Wednesday, after Tuesday’s closed-door testimony to senators
Michael Cohen, US President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer, is preparing to depict his ex-boss as a liar and possible criminal who manipulated his financial statements and frequently made racist remarks, a person familiar with his planned testimony to Congress this week said.
Cohen, who once said he’d take a bullet for Trump, is expected to describe in vivid detail what he says are Trump’s improper business practices and crude comments, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of Cohen’s public testimony on Wednesday.
Cohen is also expected to present documents to support his claims related to alleged criminal conduct and financial improprieties, the person said. Cohen declined to comment.
But Cohen’s credibility will be on trial over three days on Capitol Hill after he pleaded guilty to nine felonies, including lying to Congress. He also has been disbarred in New York, according to a state appeals court filing made public on Tuesday.
“Disgraced felon Michael Cohen is going to prison for lying to Congress and making other false statements,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said on Tuesday. “It’s laughable that anyone would take a convicted liar like Cohen at his word, and pathetic to see him given yet another opportunity to spread his lies.”
Cohen testified behind closed doors before the Senate Intelligence Committee for hours on Tuesday and will do the same on Thursday before the House Intelligence panel. Questions will focus in part on his role in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.