Cohen in Congress
GOP Reps. Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan ask DOJ to investigate whether Cohen lied to Congress again
Two Republican congressmen want the Department of Justice to investigate Michael Cohen as they accuse him of lying to Congress — again.
Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) in a letter to the DOJ on Thursday said they are referring "significant evidence" that Cohen "committed perjury and knowingly made false statements" during his Wednesday testimony before the House Oversight Committee. Jordan and Meadows are both members of the committee.
The two Republicans lay out numerous instances where they claim Cohen perjured himself, such as when he said that he did not want to work in the White House. "This is demonstrably, materially, and intentionally false," the letter says, citing court filings from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York as saying Cohen expected a White House gig. CNN has also reported this.
In another instance, the congressmen said "we believe" that Cohen lied about contracts with foreign entities, and they also suggest he lied about having "never defrauded any bank" and about committing crimes due to his "blind loyalty" to President Trump. It even takes issue with his testimony about the @WomenforCohen Twitter account, suggesting his statement that he didn't set the fan account up himself "may also be false," which they argue would be "material to the committee's assessment of Mr. Cohen's character and credibility."
Cohen's attorney, Lanny Davis, responded on Thursday by saying that Cohen "testified truthfully" and calling this a "baseless criminal referral" from "two pro-Trump committee members." He also called the letter a "sad misuse of the criminal justice system with the aura of pure partisanship."