Donald Trump’s former fixer, Michael Cohen, has agreed to testify in a public hearing before the House Oversight Committee on February 7, lawmakers announced Thursday.
Cohen’s testimony will come one month before the start of a three-year prison term, which he received for lying to Congress, tax crimes, and campaign finance violations resulting, he says, from his duty to cover up Trump’s “dirty deeds.”
In a statement, Cohen said he agreed to testify in “furtherance of my commitment to cooperate and provide the American people with answers.” He went on: “I look forward to having the privilege of being afforded a platform with which to give a full and credible account of the events which have transpired.”
After more than a decade as Trump’s personal lawyer, Cohen has plenty of dirt on the president. Most relevant are the details concerning the hush payments to two women who claim to have had sexual affairs with Trump and information on the Trump campaign’s dealings with Russia. It’s unclear what Cohen will be allowed to talk about in the hearing and what Robert Mueller, or prosecutors in New York, will want him to keep to himself.
In a statement, Chairman Elijah Cummings, who invited Cohen to testify, said his committee will avoid “inappropriately interfering with any ongoing criminal investigations.” He said he’s speaking with Mueller’s office to prevent that.
Regardless of what Cohen says, though, his testimony will surely result in a presidential temper tantrum from his one-time mentor, who has called Cohen a “weak person,” and recommended that people not hire him as their lawyer.
