President Donald Trump’s former lawyer and “fixer” Michael Cohen is set to testify before the House Oversight Committee at the end of this month, the committee chairman confirmed on Wednesday.
Cohen was originally expected to appear before the panel on February 7 but canceled the appearance due to “threats against his family” made by the President and his current attorney Rudy Giuliani. Cohen and his legal team also canceled planned closed-door testimony in front of the House and Senate Intelligence committees, citing medical reasons.
“I am pleased to announce that Michael Cohen’s public testimony before the Oversight Committee is back on, despite efforts by some to intimidate his family members and prevent him from appearing,” said the chairman of the committee, Representative Elijah Cummings, in a Wednesday statement.
“Congress has an obligation under the Constitution to conduct independent and robust oversight of the Executive Branch, and this hearing is one step in that process,” he continued.
Cohen is expected to discuss various topics, including President Trump’s “debts and payments relating to efforts to influence the 2016 election,” his compliance with financial disclosure requirements, campaign finance laws and tax laws and business practices, CNN informs. All of these topics had been developed in consultation with the Justice Department, said Cummings.
The committee chairman added that the President’s former lawyer will also testify about Trump’s public statements and possibly “fraudulent or inappropriate practices by the Trump Foundation.”
Cohen tweeted Wednesday that he was “Looking forward to the #American people hearing my story in my voice!”
Earlier that day, his attorney asked for a delay in Cohen’s three-year prison sentence, which he was to begin serving on March 6. A federal judge agreed to the postponement, and Cohen is now set to report to prison on May 6.
Cohen’s attorney cited the scheduled testimonies in asking for the postponement, saying also that his client needed more time to cope with recovery from a recent surgical procedure.
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