GOP lawmaker says tweet about Michael Cohen's 'girlfriends' isn't threatening

While President Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen was testifying privately before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday afternoon, one of Trump's most ardent supporters, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), was accusing him of infidelity.

"Hey @MichaelCohen212 — Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends?" Gaetz tweeted. "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 is set to testify publicly before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, and is expected to accuse Trump of being involved in criminal activity. He was supposed to testify earlier in the month, but backed out, citing threats. Gaetz told reporters his "tweet speaks for itself. This isn't witness tampering. This is witness testing."

Lanny Davis, Cohen's legal representative, slammed Gaetz for hurling "despicable lies and personal smears," and said he trusts that Gaetz's "colleagues in the House, both Republicans and Democrats, will repudiate his words and his conduct." Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks tweeted that Gaetz's tweet was likely a threat, but the real question "should be why is a [member of Congress] allowed to act this way even if it wasn't a crime."

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