Here’s what we know: Cohen testified to Congress that negotiations to build Europe’s tallest building stopped in January 2016. And he made it clear to me because his personal attorneys reviewed my statement before I gave it to Congress.” And through his lies to the country that he wanted me to lie. Trump had made clear to me through his personal statements to me that we both knew to be false. Trump did not directly tell me to lie to Congress. It was something later disputed by Mueller’s team.Ĭohen returned to the allegation during his testimony. “He lied about it, because he never expected to win.”Ī previous Michael Cohen plea deal court document filed by special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators states that Cohen lied to Congress at least three separate times about plans to build a Trump Tower in Moscow with Trump’s name prominently featured on top.īuzzfeed News published an explosive - and thus far uncorroborated - story last month that seemed to shed some light on why Cohen is facing prison time for lying to Congress: because President Donald Trump told him to. Trump knew of and directed the Trump-Moscow negotiations throughout the campaign and lied about it,” Cohen said during his opening statement.
At the center of former Trump personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen’s testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday was President Donald Trump’s long-sought Trump Tower real estate deal in Russia.