Michael Cohen will call Donald Trump “a racist”, a “conman” and a “cheat” in his testimony later today, according to a copy of his opening statement leaked to The New York Times.
The president’s former lawyer is expected to tell the House committee of his “regret” over his support for Trump, adding: “Never in a million years did I imagine, when I accepted a job in 2007 to work for Donald Trump, that he would one day run for president, launch a campaign on a platform of hate and intolerance, and actually win.”
He is also set to claim that, while a presidential candidate, Trump knew long-time adviser Roger Stone was talking to Julian Assange about a WikiLeaks drop of Democratic National Committee emails.
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It is quite a turnaround for Cohen, who once said he would “take a bullet” for Trump. He is making three congressional appearances this week, during which NBC News says he plans to “provide evidence of alleged criminal conduct by Trump since he became president”.
As tensions and the stakes rise, Florida lawmaker and Trump ally Matt Gaetz has apparently threatened Cohen on Twitter. Gaetz wrote: “Hey @MichaelCohen212 - Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she’ll remain faithful when you’re in prison. She’s about to learn a lot…”
Cohen’s lawyer, Lanny J. Davis, said his client would not respond to what he called “Mr Gaetz’s despicable lies and personal smears”. Amid what The New York Times describes as “an atmosphere of high drama and low tactics”, CNN pointed out that “few - if any - Republican members of Congress have more fully embraced Trump's go-for-the-jugular approach to politics than Gaetz”.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders says Cohen is “going to prison for lying to Congress and making other false statements”. Cohen was sentenced to 36 months in prison in December for offences including lying to Congress about Trump’s business dealings with Moscow.
