With Michael Cohen, Former Attorney to President Donald Trump

CHAIRMAN CUMMINGS' OPENING STATEMENT

BACKGROUND

• As the President’s personal attorney and “fixer” for more than a decade, Cohen can provide the Committee and the American people with key testimony about why he went from one of the President’s staunchest defenders to one of his most vocal critics, as well as describe his concerns about the President’s actions since assuming office. 

• On January 8, 2019, Cummings sent letters to the White House and the Trump Organization renewing his previous requests from four months earlier for documents related to President Trump’s apparent failure to report debts and payments to Mr. Cohen to silence women alleging extramarital affairs before the election.

• Last Friday, on February 15, Cummings sent new letters to the White House and the Trump Organization along with documents obtained from federal officials at the Office of Government Ethics—the office charged with overseeing the President’s financial disclosure forms—showing that lawyers representing President repeatedly provided false information to ethics officials, including “evolving stories” about whether payments were made to Cohen and the purposes of those payments.

• The White House and the Trump Organization have until this Friday, February 22, to inform the Committee whether they intend to comply voluntarily with the Committee’s document requests “or whether the Committee should consider alternative means to obtain compliance.”