WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, has agreed to speak with the House Intelligence Committee on Feb. 8, opting for closed-door testimony after pulling out of a separate public hearing due to security issues.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said Monday that Cohen will be appearing voluntarily and that the panel will cooperate with law enforcement to make sure he is safe. Cohen last week postponed testimony he was supposed to give the House Oversight and Reform Committee, citing threats from Trump and the president’s attorney-spokesman, Rudy Giuliani.
Cohen has not clarified the exact nature of the threats, nor has his lawyer. But Trump and Giuliani have publicly urged the Justice Department to investigate Cohen’s father-in-law, insinuating he was part of some unspecific criminal activity. Trump, for example, told Fox News this month that Cohen “should give information maybe on his father-in-law, because that’s the one that people want to look at.”
Trump’s fixer-turned-foe is a key character in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible coordination between Russia and Trump’s campaign. Cohen also played a pivotal role in buying the silence of a porn actress and a former Playboy Playmate who both alleged they had sex with Trump. The president has denied their claims.
Cohen pleaded guilty last year to campaign finance violations and other offenses connected to the payments, and he is scheduled to begin serving a three-year prison sentence in March. Federal prosecutors have said Trump directed Cohen to make the payments during the campaign.
Schiff, D-Calif., said Cohen had relayed “legitimate concerns” about his safety and the safety of his family.
“Efforts to intimidate witnesses, scare their family members, or prevent them from testifying before Congress are tactics we expect from organized crime, not the White House,” Schiff said. “These attacks on Mr. Cohen’s family must stop.”
Cohen is also scheduled to talk to the Senate Intelligence Committee next month, in compliance with a subpoena. That interview is scheduled for Feb. 12, according to Lanny Davis, one of Cohen’s lawyers.
Also Monday, Cohen’s lawyers announced a shake-up on his defense team as he continues to cooperate with Mueller and prepares for the congressional testimony.