The republican President Donald Trump’s long-time personal attorney Michael Cohen is about to testify in public view at the US House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing led by the Democratic Party Chairman Rep. Elijah Cummings on the 27th of February 2019.
See CNBC report: Read Michael Cohen’s opening statement here
The GOP members of the US House Oversight Committee will be looking to gum up the works as much as possible. They will be interrupting, making motions to adjourn, challenging Mr. Cohen’s testimony as going too far afield, as he’s been bound to avoid speaking about anything pertaining to Russia due to ongoing investigations. There was one GOP US Congressional Representative Michael Gaetz from Florida who has already demonstrated the level of tribal craziness that has engulfed these members’ thinking and he’s not even on the committee.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63127930/GettyImages_1056803298.0.jpg)
As per a 2/27/19 Washington Post report, “Hours after sending an incendiary tweet accusing Michael Cohen of infidelity, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) apologized late Tuesday, insisting that he did not intend to threaten President Trump’s former lawyer on the eve of his highly anticipated testimony before Congress.”
Without evidence, Gaetz suggested earlier Tuesday (2/26/19) that Cohen, who is married, had multiple “girlfriends,” prompting some legal observers and Democrats to accuse the Florida Republican of engaging in witness tampering. About seven hours later, he issued a mea culpa in a tweet addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).”
“While it is important 2 create context around the testimony of liars like Michael Cohen, it was NOT my intent to threaten, as some believe I did,” he wrote just before midnight. “I’m deleting the tweet & should have chosen words that better showed my intent. I’m sorry.”
Matt Gaetz✔@mattgaetz
Speaker, I want to get the truth too. While it is important 2 create context around the testimony of liars like Michael Cohen, it was NOT my intent to threaten, as some believe I did. I’m deleting the tweet & I should have chosen words that better showed my intent. I’m sorry.
Nancy Pelosi✔@SpeakerPelosi
I encourage all Members to be mindful that comments made on social media or in the press can adversely affect the ability of House Committees to obtain the truthful and complete information necessary to fulfill their duties. https://goo.gl/jVGQD6
Link to entire report: Matt Gaetz apologizes and deletes tweet …
I’m so suspicious of the intent of this tweet by Rep. Gaetz that the first question I would ask Mr. Cohen, is how many other women besides the ones we already know about, Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, did the president have to pay for their silence in 2016?
Other than the above question, I’d be asking Mr. Cohen about the president’s financial status and what does he know about the president’s past IRS tax filings.
Here’s the rest of the story…
On February 27, 2019, Tim Elfrink and Meagan Flynn of the Washington Post penned the following report, “Michael Cohen to testify that Trump knew of WikiLeaks plot”
Excerpts:
“Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer, will tell Congress on Wednesday that Trump knew his longtime adviser Roger Stone was communicating with WikiLeaks about publishing stolen emails from the Democratic National Committee, according to the text of his prepared opening statement.”
“In the prepared remarks, Cohen calls Trump a “racist,” a “conman” and a “cheat” and also levels accusations that the president personally signed a check to cover “hush money payments” to keep quiet an affair with adult-film actress Stormy Daniels. Cohen says Trump never directly told him to lie to Congress about his business dealings in Moscow, but claims the president implicitly encouraged him to do so.”
“A person familiar with the testimony said the document, which was first published by Politico, reflects what Cohen submitted as his prepared remarks, though they could change somewhat when he delivers them Wednesday (2/27/19) to the House Oversight Committee.”
“He is a racist. He is a conman. He is a cheat,” the remarks say, referring to Trump. “He was a presidential candidate who knew that Roger Stone was talking with Julian Assange about a WikiLeaks drop of Democratic National Committee emails.”
“Trump, who is in Vietnam for his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, didn’t respond when a reporter asked him about Cohen as he sat next to Un, The Post’s Philip Rucker reported. Earlier on Wednesday morning, Trump sent a tweet accusing Cohen of lying.”
“Michael Cohen was one of many lawyers who represented me (unfortunately). He had other clients also. He was just disbarred by the State Supreme Court for lying & fraud,” Trump tweeted. “He did bad things unrelated to Trump. He is lying in order to reduce his prison time. Using Crooked’s lawyer!”
Donald J. Trump✔@realDonaldTrump
Michael Cohen was one of many lawyers who represented me (unfortunately). He had other clients also. He was just disbarred by the State Supreme Court for lying & fraud. He did bad things unrelated to Trump. He is lying in order to reduce his prison time. Using Crooked’s lawyer!
“Cohen plans to testify that in July 2016, shortly before the Democratic convention, he overheard Trump and Stone discussing Assange’s plans. WikiLeaks released stolen DNC emails on July 22, 2016, 3 days before the Democratic convention.”
“Days before the Democratic convention, I was in Mr. Trump’s office when his secretary announced that Roger Stone was on the phone. Mr. Trump put Mr. Stone on the speakerphone. Mr. Stone told Mr. Trump that he had just gotten off the phone with Julian Assange and that Mr. Assange told Mr. Stone that, within a couple of days, there would be a massive dump of emails that would damage Hillary Clinton’s campaign,” the testimony notes. “Mr. Trump responded by stating to the effect of ‘wouldn’t that be great.’”
Stone was indicted last month for lying, obstruction and witness tampering in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Trump has denied ever talking with Stone about WikiLeaks. The person familiar with the testimony said Cohen does not have other evidence, such as contemporaneous memos, to support his recollection of the call he claims to have overheard between Stone and the president.
“Cohen says Trump directed him to pay off Daniels and to lie to Melania Trump about the relationship. Cohen plans to give Congress a copy of the $130,000 wire transfer he sent Daniels’s attorney during the campaign as well what he describes as a $35,000 check signed by the president from his personal bank account on Aug. 1, 2017. He says it was one in a series of installments Trump made to reimburse him for that hush-money payout.”
Link to entire report: Michael Cohen to testify that Trump knew of WikiLeaks plot
Gronda Morin 
Gronda, it will be interesting to see the reactions to actual evidence of wrongdoing. The Trump sycophants are trying to paint Cohen as untrustworthy. Yet, they overlook two key points – the US President is untrustworthy and he has surrounded himself with untrustworhy people, some of whom are going to jail.
What will we learn? Cohen will comfirm the President has engaged in criminal activity. So, his testimony will accelerate the death spiral the Trump Presidency is in. At the end of the day, we should remember the words of Thomas Wells, an attorney who worked for him for years – Trump lies everyday, even about things of no consequence.
Keith
LikeLiked by 2 people
Dear Keith,
Mr. Cohen was able to demonstrate how President Trump gets employees to follow his direction with lies. He just declares something as truth. For example, he tells Sean Spicer that there were record making crowds at his inauguration to where Mr. Spicer has to validate his version even if it was an outright lie.
This appears to be a tell of all the despots that he admires like MBS, President Putin and Kim Jong-Un. When MBS forcefully tells President Trump that he had nothing to do with the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. President Trump has to believe him because that is the truth/ reality according to MBS.
When President Putin strongly denies that Russia had anything to do with interfering with 2016 US elections, President Trump has to believe him because that’s his truth/ reality.
It follows that when N Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un claims that he knew nothing about the American hostage Otto Warmbier, then President Trump has to believe him because that is his truth/ reality.
President Trump also expects those around him to buy into his reality/ truth even if his reality is based on an unadulterated falsehood. So, if he says the FBI’s Trump-Russia probe is a ‘witch hunt’ staffed with agents out to get him, then guess what. Those around him at better echo his reality.
This is frightening.
Hugs, Gronda
LikeLike
It’s so disheartening to watch our Republican Senators try to cover for the President rather than get to the truth. In my opinion it is treason.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Dear Holly,
The republican committee members did nothing more than try to discredit Mr. Cohen’s credibility but they ended up making Mr. Cohen look better in comparison.
Mr. Cohen provided the committee members with a road map on how to proceed.
Hugs, Gronda
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope they will proceed to get the facts, not give up on Mr. Trump and his thugs.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t know what’s worse Gronda, listening to Cohen verbally detail what he did for Trump over the ten years he worked for him, or watching Republicans lie and do everything possible to shield the pathological liar-in-chief. I think I’m going to need to take a shower after this.🙇🏻♀️
LikeLiked by 2 people
I left a message with three of the GOP legislators who were so adamant today. I left a comment and a question. I found Cohen credible and nothing he said surprised me. Then, I asked is Trump the man they want to spend their dear reputation on?
LikeLiked by 2 people
The only thing I didn’t think he told the truth about was not wanting a job at the White House. Other than that, I found him a credible witness who provided documents to back himself up. The behavior of most of the Republicans horrifying, but not surprising. I thought two shining moments came during Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s questioning and Elijah Cummings closing remarks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Kim,
Remember the stories where Gen Mattis said he resigned but then the president claimed that he fired him; there was the Gen Flynn case where we’re now learning that he just left but then the president came up with a story that he fired Gen. Flynn because he lied to VP Pence. The president lies, his children lie.
I’m aware of all the news stories indicating that Mr. Cohen really wanted a job at the White House but I’m not taking sides on this one.
Hugs, Gronda
LikeLiked by 1 person
I do remember that Gronda. Whether Cohen was hurt or not because he wasn’t offered a WH job, I don’t think is that important even though Meadows and Jordan want him investigated for perjury for his denial yesterday. What is important is that he had documents to back up his more serious allegations.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Keith,
Thanks for taking the time to contact these GOP committee members. They did not do themselves proud yesterday with their ugly behaviors. They made Mr. Cohen look great in comparison.
But then if you listen to FOX news, you would never guess that we observed the same performances.
Mr. Cohen was able to provide a road map for the Oversight Committee’s future investigations.
Rep. Schiff, chair of the US House intel Committee said Felix Sater has been scheduled to testify around March 14.
Hugs, Gronda
LikeLike
Dear Kim,
Most prosecutors will tell peoples that they are not the ones who choose the witnesses. Frequently they are flawed characters as he/ she most likely was involved with the suspect’s criminal activity. But they can still be useful as witnesses as long as there is corroborating evidence.
I found Mr. Cohen to be credible but the GOP members acted like jerks. They made Mr. Cohen look better.
Hugs, Gronda
LikeLiked by 1 person
I never thought I’d feel sympathy toward Cohen Gronda, but by the end of the hearing I did. He’s paying a heavy price for the choices he’s made. It also got to me when he warned the Republicans who were attacking him that if they continued to defend and cover up for Trump, they’d likely wind up exactly where he was.
LikeLiked by 1 person