Michael Cohen is testifying today to Congress, but behind closed doors. He will give pubic testimony tomorrow.
The White House is playing like they are not scared. In a statement on this morning, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, denounced Mr. Cohen.
“Disgraced felon Michael Cohen is going to prison for lying to Congress and making other false statements,” she said. “Sadly, he will go before Congress this week and we can expect more of the same. 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.”
It is true that Cohen has a credibility problem, but the press seems to think he has the receipts on Trump. Like, actual physical receipts.
The Wall Street Journal:
The Wall Street Journal has an idea of what Cohen might be bringing to the House Oversight Committee:
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former lawyer, will for the first time publicly accuse the president of criminal conduct while in office related to a hush-money payment to a porn star, a person familiar with his planned testimony before Congress said.
Appearing on Wednesday before the House Oversight Committee, Mr. Cohen also will make public some of Mr. Trump’s private financial statements and allege that Mr. Trump at times inflated or deflated his net worth for business and personal purposes, including avoiding paying property taxes, the person said. The financial statements were developed by Mr. Trump’s accountant, the person said. The Wall Street Journal hasn’t seen those statements.
Mr. Cohen’s testimony is expected to focus on his “behind-the-scenes” accounts of working for Mr. Trump for over a decade, a period during which Mr. Cohen will say he witnessed “lies, racism and cheating” by Mr. Trump, the person said.
According to Lanny Davis, Cohen’s attorney, Cohen will describe in what was called “granular detail” the plan to pay off porn star Stormy Daniels for her silence, which he will say was initiated by Trump, the person familiar with the testimony plans said. Cohen has pleaded guilty to a federal campaign finance-related charge in connection with that payment. Prosecutors have implicated Trump, identifying him as “Individual 1,” in connection with that charge in documents filed in the case.
And he is planning on bringing documents, beyond the financial statements.
Trump is in Vietnam, meeting with Kim Jong-un, and hoping that what is going on there will overshadow any Cohen news. I think he may be disappointed, and he is likely top tweet about any Cohen revelations himself.
Buckle up.