Michael Cohen will reportedly accuse Trump of criminal conduct while in office

When Michael Cohen testifies in front of the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, he will discuss what it was like working for President Trump for more than a decade, revealing that he witnessed "lies, racism, and cheating" by Trump, a person familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal Tuesday.

Cohen, who paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in October 2016 to keep quiet about an alleged affair she had with Trump, was reimbursed for that payment, and plans to show a signed check during his testimony. Throughout 2017, he received checks for $35,000, and some were signed by Trump, who by that point was in the White House, the person said. 



Cohen also plans on making public some of Trump's financial statements, and will testify that depending on how it suited him, Trump would inflate or deflate his net worth, both for business and personal reasons. Cohen will allege that by doing this, Trump was able to avoid paying property taxes. Finally, the person told the Journal, Cohen will detail conversations he says he had with Trump, including times Trump allegedly made racist remarks about black people.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

Cohen spent nine hours on Tuesday testifying behind closed doors in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He said he was happy to "clear the record and to tell the truth," and on Wednesday, will "let the American people decide exactly who's telling the truth."