Trump lawyer to testify in public before panel

WASHINGTON — The Senate intelligence committee is asking President Donald Trump’s lawyer to return to Capitol Hill for a public hearing next month after abruptly canceling a closed-door staff interview Tuesday morning.

Committee leaders said they called off the interview after Michael Cohen sent a public opening statement to the media just as the meeting was about to start. Senate intelligence committee Chairman Richard Burr, RN.C., and the panel’s top Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, issued a sharp statement saying the panel had asked Cohen to “refrain from public comment” and that they would request he return — this time for a public hearing.

“We declined to move forward with today’s interview and will reschedule Mr. Cohen’s appearance before the committee in open session at a date in the near future,” Burr and Warner said in the statement. “The committee expects witnesses in this investigation to work in good faith with the Senate.”

Later in the day, the committee scheduled the public hearing for Oct. 25. Asked if he would subpoena Cohen to compel his appearance, Burr said “I don’t think we’ll need to.”

The Senate intelligence committee is one of several congressional panels investigating Russia’s interference in the presidential race and potential ties to the Trump campaign. Special counsel Robert Mueller and his team of investigators are conducting their own criminal investigation.

Burr and Warner said the committee changed its rules after Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, publicly released his 11-page prepared remarks to the panel ahead of his own closed-door interview with the panel. That interview went forward with Kushner answering questions for several hours.

Burr said the committee doesn’t want witnesses to release what they are saying behind closed doors.

Cohen’s lawyers said they issued the public statement because the meeting had been leaked to the press.