Trump threat claim
Cohen fearful of testifying before Congress: Lawyer
Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former personal lawyer, will not testify before Congress next month, one of his attorneys said Wednesday — which could quash, at least temporarily, liberals’ hopes for a public hearing in which Trump’s ex-fixer aired the president’s dirty laundry.
Lanny Davis, an attorney for Cohen said in a statement, “Due to ongoing threats against his family from President Trump and Mr. (Rudolph) Giuliani, as recently as this weekend, as well as Mr. Cohen’s continued cooperation with ongoing investigations, by advice of counsel, Mr. Cohen’s appearance will be postponed to a later date.” Cohen had been scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee on Feb. 7.
“This is a time where Mr. Cohen had to put his family and their safety first,” Davis said.
It is not clear to which “threats” Davis was referring, and Davis declined to provide more detail. A person familiar with Cohen’s account said the threats have not been reported to law enforcement.
Trump said of the claim he had threatened Cohen: “I would say he’s been threatened by the truth. He’s only been threatened by the truth. And he doesn’t want to do that, probably for me or other of his clients.” The president has been publicly critical of Cohen for his cooperation with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and has suggested Cohen’s father-in-law ought to be investigated.
Giuliani, the president’s current lawyer, has highlighted problems with Cohen’s credibility. Giuliani was particularly skeptical of Cohen after BuzzFeed News reported last week that Cohen told Mueller’s office Trump had directed him to lie to Congress — an account Mueller disputed in an unprecedented public statement.
“If you believe Cohen, I can get you a great deal on the Brooklyn Bridge,” Giuliani said.
It was not immediately clear that lawmakers would easily allow Cohen to back out.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said they had “repeatedly offered our assistance to work with law enforcement to enhance security measures for Mr. Cohen and his family.”