Cohen threatened Fordham with legal action if they released Trump's college records. Trump once offered $5 million for the release of Obama's.

Michael Cohen's testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday included an allegation that, during his presidential campaign, President Trump directed his former lawyer to write letters to Trump's high school, colleges, and the College Board demanding that they not release his grades or SAT scores to anyone requesting them.

Below is a letter to Fordham University, in which Cohen threatens legal action if the school did not adhere to Trump's request to keep his transcripts under wraps — though Cohen was sure to let them know that the president greatly enjoyed his two years on campus.

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The revelation is particularly enlightening considering how badly Trump wanted someone to leak former President Barack Obama's college records — albeit not to see his grades, but rather to prove the conspiracy he helped spread that Obama was born abroad. After offering $5 million for their release, Trump eventually admitted that he believes Obama was born in the United States.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.