Ex-Trump lawyer Cohen postpones testimony to Congress, citing 'threats'

By Susan Cornwell

 

FILE PHOTO: Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, exits the United States Courthouse after sentencing at the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., December 12, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen is postponing his Feb. 7 testimony to the U.S. Congress because of threats against his family from Trump, his adviser said on Wednesday.

 

Cohen, who has pleaded guilty to crimes including campaign finance violations during Trump's 2016 election campaign and is cooperating with investigators, had received "ongoing threats against his family from Trump" and Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani, the adviser, attorney Lanny Davis, said in a statement.

 

Trump called Cohen a "rat" in a tweet last month for cooperating with prosecutors. Cohen had been Trump's self-described longtime "fixer" and once said he would take a bullet for the New York real estate developer.

 

In a Fox News interview this month, and other forums, Trump also suggested he had damaging information on Cohen's father-in-law. "That's the one that people want to look at," Trump said in the interview. Giuliani also referred to possible issues with him.

 

Cohen's father-in-law, Fima Shusterman, could not immediately be reached for comment. He has been involved in the taxicab business like Cohen himself.

 

Cohen was expected to appear before the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee. A new date has not been scheduled and he will go to a federal prison in March.

 

During an event at the White House, Trump was asked about Cohen saying he had been threatened by him and Giuliani.

"I would say he's been threatened by the truth. He's only been threatened by the truth," Trump said.

 

Giuliani told Reuters that the "president's response covers it."

 

Representative Elijah Cummings, chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Representative Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, both Democrats, said in a statement they understood the concerns for the safety of Cohen and his family in light of the attacks by Trump and Giuliani.

 

But the lawmakers said they would not "let the President’s tactics prevent Congress" from getting to the truth.

 

"I promise you that we will hear from Mr. Cohen. ... Whatever we have to do to get him here, we're going to do it," Cummings told reporters in a Capitol hallway. He declined to say if that meant a subpoena.

 

Chicago attorney Andrew Boutros said he was not sure what to make of it all. "Mr. Cohen's statement is long on conclusions and short on facts and details," said Boutros, a former federal prosecutor.

 

Cohen was sentenced in December to three years in prison for crimes including orchestrating hush payments to women in violation of campaign laws before the 2016 election. He said in the guilty plea that he was directed to make the payments by Trump. The president and his lawyers have argued the payments were a personal matter unrelated to the election.

 

Cohen had volunteered to testify before the congressional panel. Davis said Cohen looked forward to testifying at a later date.

 

(Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Additional reporting by David Alexander, Nathan Layne, Andy Sullivan, Ginger Gibson and Karen Freifeld; Editing by Grant McCool and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-01-29

Effectively declaring the threats Trump made to Cohen and his family are ‘Obstruction of Justice’.

Did this Cohen grow up in an ivory tower with no interaction with other kids? We all learned on the playground at age 7 or 8 - snitches get stitches. His flights of fantasy and grovelling to Mueller is nauseating.

3 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Did this Cohen grow up in an ivory tower with no interaction with other kids? We all learned on the playground at age 7 or 8 - snitches get stitches. His flights of fantasy and grovelling to Mueller is nauseating.

I reckon "trump" fans would be singing an entirely different tune if Cohen was spillin' the beans about … BENGHAZI.

8 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I reckon "trump" fans would be singing an entirely different tune if Cohen was spillin' the beans about … BENGHAZI.

Not sure if you are trying to be funny, but I can assure you Clinton's negligence that led to Ambassador Stevens being tortured and hacked to death then paraded around bears no resemblance to an entirely made up conspiracy theory that Trump colluded with Russians and that collusion swung the results of the 2016 election. Nice own goal though.

2 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Not sure if you are trying to be funny, but I can assure you Clinton's negligence that led to Ambassador Stevens being tortured and hacked to death then paraded around bears no resemblance to an entirely made up conspiracy theory that Trump colluded with Russians and that collusion swung the results of the 2016 election. Nice own goal though.

You guys are so predictable that you deprive of us of the fun of a real challenge.

Actually, he will testify in a closed-door session on Feb 8th. Better than nothing.

Better start singing mike!!what a train wreck of a presidency!a veritable gallery of buffoons rogues and criminals 

15 minutes ago, Tug said:

Better start singing mike!!what a train wreck of a presidency!a veritable gallery of buffoons rogues and criminals 

And the funny part is they all talk like New York wise guy Soprano cast characters, including Trump.

Edited January 29, 20197 yr by keemapoot
sp

It is so predictable that we believe what we want to believe, from both sides. Facts no longer matter it seems.

23 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

It is so predictable that we believe what we want to believe, from both sides. Facts no longer matter it seems.

Facts matter in a trial before a jury.

 

Ask Manafort.

 

1 hour ago, Somtamnication said:

Actually, he will testify in a closed-door session on Feb 8th. Better than nothing.

He’ll be Subpoenaed to give testimony before Congress and when asked why he withdrew his offer to voluntarily give testimony he will repeat his fear of the threats he’s received from Trump.

 

In doing so Trump’s ‘Obstruction of Justice’ will be recorded in sworn testimony before Congress.

 

A very smart move by Cohen and his legal advisor Lanny Davis.

4 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Did this Cohen grow up in an ivory tower with no interaction with other kids? We all learned on the playground at age 7 or 8 - snitches get stitches. His flights of fantasy and grovelling to Mueller is nauseating.

If that’s not the most quintessential example of “witness tampering” ever , then I don’t know what is.

 

A champion for justice and transparency, you are most certainly not.

3 hours ago, keemapoot said:

And the funny part is they all talk like New York wise guy Soprano cast characters, including Trump.

Unfortunately, without a code of silence though.

8 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Did this Cohen grow up in an ivory tower with no interaction with other kids? We all learned on the playground at age 7 or 8 - snitches get stitches. His flights of fantasy and grovelling to Mueller is nauseating.

The POTUS is making threats to a witness , even in your deranged world that should worry you .