Cohen claims Trump lawyer shaped false statement

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s former fixer, Michael Cohen, told Congress it was Trump’s personal attorney, Jay Sekulow, who suggested he tell lawmakers that the negotiations for Trump Tower Moscow ended in January 2016, even though they continued for months after that.

The House Intelligence Committee on Monday released two transcripts of closeddoor interviews with Cohen from earlier this year, along with some exhibits from the testimony. Cohen, who is serving a three- year prison sentence, pleaded guilty last year and admitted that he misled Congress by saying he had abandoned the Trump Tower Moscow project months earlier than he actually did.

During the interviews, legislators repeatedly pressed Cohen for details on his false statement to Congress and tried to nail down whether he was directly told by Trump’s legal team to mislead the committee, but the transcripts provide no slamdunk evidence.

Cohen offered no direct proof that Sekulow knew the January 2016 date was false, but Cohen claims Sekulow should have known because he had access to relevant emails and other communications as part of an agreement between defense attorneys to share documents.