A history of Trump's alleged witness tampering
The latest accusations are part of a long pattern


Is Donald Trump trying to undermine the work of the Jan. 6 committee? Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) has certainly been hinting at that possibility. "After our last hearing, President Trump tried to call a witness in our investigation — a witness you have not yet seen in these hearings," Cheney revealed this week. "That person declined to answer or respond to President Trump's call, and instead alerted their lawyer to the call. Their lawyer alerted us."
That person was a member of the White House support staff during Trump's presidency, CNN later revealed. And that has raised concerns among investigators trying to get to the bottom of the insurrection. "This has been an ongoing pattern and we're trying to send the message that witness tampering is a crime in the United States of America," said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).
This isn't the first time Trump has faced questions about interfering with the various investigations into his activities. Here's everything you need to know:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Firing James Comey
Early in his presidential term, Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. Why? "Because he wasn't doing a good job, simply," he told reporters. "He was not doing a good job." But in an interview with NBC's Lester Holt, Trump seemed to hint that the firing stemmed from anger over ongoing investigations into his campaign's possible involvement with Russia in the 2016 election. "And in fact when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story, it's an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won," Trump told Holt.
Comey reported that Trump had leaned on him — during a dinner on Valentine's Day in 2017 — to go easy in the bureau's investigation of Mike Flynn, the former national security advisor who eventually pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador. Comey testified that Trump said: "I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go." The request made Comey nervous. "I had understood the president to be requesting that we drop any investigation of Flynn in connection with false statements about his conversations with the Russian ambassador in December," he told the Senate Intelligence Committee in June 2017.
Flynn was convicted — but was pardoned by Trump after the 2020 election. He was most recently in the news due to a video appearance before the Jan. 6 committee, taking the Fifth in response to questions about whether he believes in the peaceful transfer of power.
Pressuring Michael Cohen
Cohen was Trump's longtime lawyer and fixer, which put him in a critical position regarding Trump's activities — including payments to Stormy Daniels, the adult film star with whom Trump had had a brief sexual relationship. Cohen's role in those payments came under scrutiny, according to CNN's Marshall Cohen (no relation): "After the FBI raided Cohen's home and office, Trump publicly defended him and said he didn't think Cohen would 'flip.' A lawyer close to Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani emailed Cohen saying that he should 'sleep well' because 'you have friends in high places.' Cohen told investigators that another Trump lawyer had said he'd be fine, and maybe get a pardon, if he stayed on message."
But Cohen did flip, testifying to Congress in 2019 — and making a stark prediction about his former boss: "I fear that if he loses the election in 2020 that there will never be a peaceful transition of power." That testimony happened only after Trump and Rudy Giuliani went public with comments suggesting that Cohen's father-in-law might be targeted for a federal investigation, raising questions about whether their activities constituted obstruction of justice. "We understand that Mr. Cohen's wife and other family members fear for their safety after these attacks," Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said in a joint statement. Cohen later served a prison sentence on convictions for violating campaign finance laws and lying to Congress during an earlier hearing.
The Mueller report
No charges ever came from Robert Mueller's investigation of Trump's Russia contacts. But Mueller, the former FBI director, strongly suggested that Trump might have faced obstruction charges if he had not been president. In fact, Mueller's final report cited 10 instances — including the firing of Comey, and the Michael Cohen incidents — that served as possible moments when Trump had tried to interfere with his inquiry. Other times included his efforts to get Mueller fired from the special counsel investigation.
From a layperson's standpoint, Mueller's conclusions about obstructions probably seemed like a haze of double negativity: The investigators weren't saying Trump had obstructed justice, but they weren't not saying it either. "If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the president clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state," Mueller's final report said. "Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, however, we are unable to reach that judgment." The legal standard, though, is that the Department of Justice has a policy against prosecuting the sitting president. Mueller, however, didn't want to make it seem like Trump had been found innocent of the accusations. "While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
Amanda Feilding: the serious legacy of the 'Crackpot Countess'
In the Spotlight Nicknamed 'Lady Mindbender', eccentric aristocrat was a pioneer in the field of psychedelic research
-
Green bean, almond and peach salad recipe
The Week Recommends Thomas Straker's fresh dish is summer in a bowl
-
Crossword: June 7, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Obamacare is under threat in Trump's tax bill
In the Spotlight Medicaid has been the main talking point, but Obamacare users could be at risk
-
Trump-Musk relationship implodes in taunts, threats
speed read Musk said Trump's multitrillion bill would cause a recession and accused the president of involvement with Jeffrey Epstein
-
Trump may team with a tech company to create a database of Americans
In the Spotlight A recent report indicated that Trump is partnering with the tech company Palantir
-
Trump hits Africa, Middle East with new travel ban
Speed Read The travel ban bars visitors from 12 countries and restricts entry from seven
-
'The bilateral relationship has eroded'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Elon Musk slams Trump's 'pork-filled' signature bill
speed read 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,' Musk posted on X
-
'We need solutions that prioritize both safety and sustainability'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
A running list of all the celebrities Trump has pardoned
IN DEPTH Reality stars, rappers and disgraced politicians have received some of the high-profile pardons doled out by the president