Trump ordered Michael Cohen to suppress his college grades, SAT scores, Cohen will tell Congress

(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

last updated 27 February 2019

In public testimony on Wednesday, Michael Cohen will produce evidence he says shows President Trump committed a crime while president, testify that Trump effectively told him to perjure himself, swear Trump had advance knowledge of the WikiLeaks hit on Hillary Clinton, and describe his experience of Trump as a "racist," a "cheat," and a "conman," according to a prepared statement obtained by Politico and The New York Times. And Cohen will bring documents to bolster his shaky credibility, including evidence suggesting a little intellectual insecurity on Trump's part. Cohen will say:

When I say conman, I'm talking about a man who declares himself brilliant but directed me to threaten his high school, his colleges, and the College Board to never release his grades or SAT scores.As I mentioned, I'm giving the Committee today copies of a letter I sent at Mr. Trump's direction threatening these schools with civil and criminal actions if Mr. Trump's grades or SAT scores were ever disclosed without his permission. These are Exhibit 6. The irony wasn't lost on me at the time that Mr. Trump in 2011 had strongly criticized President Obama for not releasing his grades. As you can see in Exhibit 7, Mr. Trump declared "Let him show his records" after calling President Obama "a terrible student." [Michael Cohen statement, via Politico]

The Week

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

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.