    [House Hearing, 116 Congress]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

     HEARING WITH MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER ATTORNEY TO PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP

    =======================================================================

                                    HEARING

                                   BEFORE THE

                                  COMMITTEE ON
                              OVERSIGHT AND REFORM
                            HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                         ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION

                                   __________

                               FEBRUARY 27, 2019

                                   __________

                               Serial No. 116-03

                                   __________

          Printed for the use of the Committee on Oversight and Reform

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                       COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND REFORM

                     ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland, Chairman

    Carolyn B. Maloney, New York         Jim Jordan, Ohio, Ranking Minority
    Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of       Member
        Columbia                         Justin Amash, Michigan
    Wm. Lacy Clay, Missouri              Paul A. Gosar, Arizona
    Stephen F. Lynch, Massachusetts      Virginia Foxx, North Carolina
    Jim Cooper, Tennessee                Thomas Massie, Kentucky
    Gerald E. Connolly, Virginia         Mark Meadows, North Carolina
    Raja Krishnamoorthi, Illinois        Jody B. Hice, Georgia
    Jamie Raskin, Maryland               Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin
    Harley Rouda, California             James Comer, Kentucky
    Katie Hill, California               Michael Cloud, Texas
    Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida    Bob Gibbs, Ohio
    John P. Sarbanes, Maryland           Clay Higgins, Louisiana
    Peter Welch, Vermont                 Ralph Norman, South Carolina
    Jackie Speier, California            Chip Roy, Texas
    Robin L. Kelly, Illinois             Carol D. Miller, West Virginia
    Mark DeSaulnier, California          Mark E. Green, Tennessee
    Brenda L. Lawrence, Michigan         Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota
    Stacey E. Plaskett, Virgin Islands   W. Gregory Steube, Florida
    Ro Khanna, California
    Jimmy Gomez, California
    Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York
    Ayanna Pressley, Massachusetts
    Rashida Tlaib, Michigan

                         David Rapallo, Staff Director
                              Peter Kenny, Counsel
              Elisa LaNier, Chief Clerk and Director of Operations

                          Contact Number: 202-225-5051

                            C  O  N  T  E  N  T  S

                                  ----------
                                                                       Page
    Hearing held on February 27, 2019................................     1

                                   Witnesses

    Michael Cohen, Former Attorney to President Donald Trump
        Oral Statement...............................................     9
        Written Statement............................................    16

                                Index of Inserts

                                                                       Page
        Statement of Lynne Patton....................................    35
        Referral of Michael Cohen for Potential Violation............    39
        Common Cause Letter..........................................   108
        Dr. Darrell Scott Tweet......................................   154
        Bo Dietl Tweet...............................................   156
        Letter to Chairman Cummings..................................   158
        Cohen Sentencing Statement...................................   168
        State of New York Court Order on Cohen.......................   172

     HEARING WITH MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER ATTORNEY TO PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP

                                  ----------

                           Tuesday, February 27, 2019

                       House of Representatives
                              Committee on Oversight and Reform
                                                       Washington, D.C.
        The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:02 a.m., in
    room 2154, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Elijah Cummings
    (chairman of the committee) presiding.
        Present: Representatives Cummings, Maloney, Norton, Clay,
    Lynch, Cooper, Connolly, Krishnamoorthi, Raskin, Rouda, Hill,
    Wasserman Schultz, Sarbanes, Welch, Speier, Kelly, DeSaulnier,
    Lawrence, Plaskett, Khanna, Gomez, Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley,
    Tlaib, Jordan, Amash, Gosar, Foxx, Massie, Meadows, Hice,
    Grothman, Comer, Cloud, Gibbs, Higgins, Norman, Roy, Miller,
    Green, Armstrong, and Steube.
        Chairman Cummings. The committee will come to order.
    Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare a recess
    of the committee at any time. The full committee hearing is
    convening to hear the testimony of Michael Cohen, former
    attorney to President Donald Trump.
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Chairman, I have a point of order.
        Chairman Cummings. You'll state your point of order.
        Mr. Meadows. Rule 9(f) of the committee rules say that any
    testimony from your witness needs to be here 24 hours in
    advance. The committee and the chairman know well that at
    10:08, we received the written testimony, and then we received
    evidence this morning at 7:54.
        Now, if this was just an oversight, Mr. Chairman, I could
    look beyond it. But it was an intentional effort by this
    witness and his advisors to, once again, show his disdain for
    this body.
        With that, I move that we postpone this hearing.
        Chairman Cummings. I want to thank the gentleman.
        Let me say this, that we got the testimony late last night.
    We did. And we got it to you all pretty much the same time that
    we got it.
        I want to move forward with this hearing.
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Chairman, with all due respect, Mr.
    Chairman, this is a violation of the rule. And if it was not
    intentional, I would not have a problem. I'm not saying it was
    intentional on your part. I'm saying it's intentional on his
    part, because Mr. Dean, last night on a cable news network,
    actually made it all very evident. John Dean. And I'll quote,
    Mr. Chairman. He said, ``As a former committee counsel in the
    House Judiciary Committee, and then a long-term witness,
    sitting alone at the table is important, quote, 'holding your
    statement as long as you can so the other side can't chew it up
    is important as well,' '' closed quote.
        And so it was advice that our witness got for this
    particular body. And, Mr. Chairman, when you were in the
    minority, you wouldn't have stood for it. And I can tell you
    that we should not stand for it as a body.
        Chairman Cummings. Let me say this----
        Mr. Jordan. Mr. Chairman----
        Chairman Cummings. Let me say this.
        Mr. Jordan. Mr. Chairman----
        Chairman Cummings. Yes. Katie Hill.
        Ms. Hill. I move to table.
        Mr. Jordan. Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cummings. Is there a second?
        Mr. Jordan. Mr. Chairman. I was asked to be recognized
    before the motion.
        Chairman Cummings. The vote is on tabling the motion.
        Mr. Jordan. Do you know who had this material before all
    the members of the committee?
        Chairman Cummings. Excuse me.
        Mr. Jordan. CNN had it before we did.
        Chairman Cummings. Sir.
        Mr. Jordan. CNN had the exhibits before we did.
        Well, I just want to be recognized.
        Chairman Cummings. Yes, well, the vote is on tabling the
    motion to postpone.
        All in favor say aye.
        All opposed say no. The ayes have it.
        Mr. Meadows. And I appeal the ruling of the chair.
        Yes, I can assure you it's in the rules. I appeal the
    ruling of the chair.
        Mr. Hice. Do the rules matter, Mr. Chairman?
        Chairman Cummings. I recognize the gentlelady.
        Ms. Hill. Move to waive the rules.
        Chairman Cummings. There's a motion to table.
        Ms. Hill. Move to table.
        Chairman Cummings. The vote is----
        Mr. Meadows. Well, she made two motions. What's the motion?
        Chairman Cummings. The vote is on tabling----
        Ms. Hill. I move to table the appeal to the ruling of the
    chair.
        Chairman Cummings. The vote is on that.
        All in favor say aye.
        All opposed say no.
        The ayes have it.
        Mr. Meadows. I ask for a recorded vote, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cummings. Very well.
        The clerk will call the roll.
        The Clerk. Mr. Cummings?
        Chairman Cummings. Yes.
        The Clerk. Mr. Cummings votes yes.
        Ms. Maloney?
        Ms. Maloney. Yes.
        The Clerk. Ms. Maloney votes yes.
        Ms. Norton?
        Ms. Norton. Yes.
        The Clerk. Ms. Norton votes yes.
        Mr. Clay?
        Mr. Clay. Yes.
        The Clerk. Mr. Clay votes yes.
        Mr. Lynch?
        Mr. Lynch. Yes.
        The Clerk. Mr. Lynch votes yes.
        Mr. Cooper?
        Mr. Cooper. Yes.
        The Clerk. Mr. Cooper votes yes.
        Mr. Connolly?
        Mr. Connolly. Yes.
        The Clerk. Mr. Connolly votes yes.
        The Clerk. Mr. Krishnamoorthi?
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. Yes.
        The Clerk. Mr. Krishnamoorthi votes yes.
        Mr. Raskin?
        Mr. Raskin. Yes.
        The Clerk. Mr. Raskin votes yes.
        Mr. Rouda?
        Mr. Rouda. Yes.
        The Clerk. Mr. Rouda votes yes.
        Ms. Hill?
        Ms. Hill. Yes.
        The Clerk. Ms. Hill votes yes.
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz?
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Yes.
        The Clerk. Ms. Wasserman Schultz votes yes.
        Mr. Sarbanes?
        Mr. Sarbanes. Yes.
        The Clerk. Mr. Sarbanes votes yes.
        Mr. Welch. Yes.
        The Clerk. Mr. Welch votes yes.
        Ms. Speier?
        Ms. Speier. Yes.
        The Clerk. Ms. Speier votes yes.
        Ms. Kelly?
        Ms. Kelly. Yes.
        The Clerk. Ms. Kelly votes yes.
        Mr. DeSaulnier?
        Mr. DeSaulnier. Yes.
        The Clerk. Mr. DeSaulnier votes yes.
        Mrs. Lawrence?
        Mrs. Lawrence. Yes.
        The Clerk. Mrs. Lawrence votes yes.
        Ms. Plaskett?
        Ms. Plaskett. Yes.
        The Clerk. Ms. Plaskett votes yes.
        Mr. Khanna?
        Mr. Khanna. Yes.
        The Clerk. Mr. Khanna votes yes.
        Mr. Gomez?
        Mr. Gomez. Yes.
        The Clerk. Mr. Gomez votes yes.
        Ms. Ocasio-Cortez?
        Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. Yes.
        The Clerk. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez votes yes.
        Ms. Pressley?
        Ms. Pressley. Yes.
        The Clerk. Ms. Pressley votes yes.
        Ms. Tlaib?
        Ms. Tlaib. Yes.
        The Clerk. Ms. Tlaib votes yes.
        Mr. Jordan?
        Mr. Jordan. No.
        The Clerk. Mr. Jordan votes no.
        Mr. Amash?
        Mr. Amash. No.
        The Clerk. Mr. Amash votes no.
        Mr. Gosar?
        Mr. Gosar. No.
        The Clerk. Mr. Gosar votes no.
        Ms. Foxx?
        Ms. Foxx. No.
        The Clerk. Ms. Foxx votes no.
        Mr. Massie?
        Mr. Massie. No.
        The Clerk. Mr. Massie votes no.
        Mr. Meadows?
        Mr. Meadows. No.
        The Clerk. Mr. Meadows votes no.
        Mr. Hice?
        Mr. Hice. No.
        The Clerk. Mr. Hice votes no.
        Mr. Grothman?
        Mr. Grothman. No.
        The Clerk. Mr. Grothman votes no.
        Mr. Comer?
        Mr. Comer. No.
        The Clerk. Mr. Comer votes no.
        Mr. Cloud?
        Mr. Cloud. No.
        The Clerk. Mr. Cloud votes no.
        Mr. Gibbs?
        Mr. Gibbs. No.
        The Clerk. Ms. Gibbs votes no.
        Mr. Higgins?
        [No response.]
        The Clerk. Mr. Norman?
        Mr. Norman. No.
        The Clerk. Mr. Norman votes no.
        Mr. Roy?
        Mr. Roy. No.
        The Clerk. Mr. Roy votes no.
        Mrs. Miller?
        Mrs. Miller. No.
        The Clerk. Mrs. Miller votes no.
        Mr. Green?
        Mr. Green. No.
        The Clerk. Mr. Green votes no.
        Mr. Armstrong?
        Mr. Armstrong. No.
        The Clerk. Mr. Armstrong votes no.
        Mr. Steube?
        Mr. Steube. No.
        The Clerk. Mr. Steube votes no.
        On this vote, we have 24 yeses, 17 noes.
        Chairman Cummings. OK. The motion to table is agreed to.
        Let me say this: You've made it clear that you do not want
    the American people to hear what Mr. Cohen has to say. But the
    American people have a right to hear him, so we're going to
    proceed. The American people can judge his credibility for
    themselves.
        Now----
        Mr. Jordan. Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cummings. Yes.
        Mr. Jordan. We did not say that. We just said we wanted to
    follow the rules. We had--he didn't say stop the hearing. He
    just said postpone it so we could get his testimony and the
    exhibits when we were supposed to get them according to the
    rules of this committee. That's all we said. We didn't say we
    didn't want to hear from the guy.
        Chairman Cummings. Reclaiming my time.
        Mr. Jordan. We want to follow the rule.
        Chairman Cummings. Reclaiming my time.
        I now recognize myself for five minutes to give an opening
    statement.
        Today, the committee will hear the testimony of Michael
    Cohen, President Donald Trump's long-time personal attorney,
    and one of his closest and most trusted advisers over the last
    decade. On August 21, Mr. Cohen appeared in Federal court, and
    admitted to arranging secret payoffs of hundreds of thousands
    of dollars on the eve of the election, to silence women
    alleging affairs with Donald Trump.
        Mr. Cohen admitted to violating campaign finance laws and
    other laws. He admitted to committing these felonies, quote,
    ``in coordination with and at the direction of,'' unquote,
    President Trump. And he admitted, he admitted, to lying about
    his actions to protect the President.
        Some will certainly ask, if Mr. Cohen was lying then, why
    should we believe him now?
        Mr. Jordan. Good question.
        Chairman Cummings. This is a legitimate question.
        As a trial lawyer for many years, I faced this situation
    over and over again, and I asked the same question.
        Here is how I view our role. Every one of us in this room
    has a duty to serve as an independent check on the executive
    branch. Ladies and gentlemen, we are in search of the truth.
    The President has made many statements of his own, and now the
    American people have a right to hear the other side. They can
    watch Mr. Cohen's testimony and make their own judgment.
        We received a copy of Mr. Cohen's written statement late
    last night. It includes not only personal eyewitness accounts
    of meetings with Donald Trump, as President inside the Oval
    Office, but it also includes documents and other corroborating
    evidence of some of Mr. Cohen's statements.
        For example, Mr. Cohen has provided a copy of a check sent
    while President Trump was in office, with Donald Trump's
    signature on it to reimburse Mr. Cohen for the hush money
    payment to Stormy Daniels. This is new--this new evidence
    raises a host of troubling legal and ethical concerns about the
    President's actions in the White House and before.
        Would you all close that door, please?
        Thank you.
        This check is dated August 1, 2017. Six months later, in
    April 2018, the President denied anything about it. In April
    2018, President Trump was flying on Air Force One when a
    reporter asked him a question, Did you know about a $130,000
    payment to Stormy Daniels? The answer was, quote, ``No.''
        A month after that, the President admitted to making
    payments to Mr. Cohen, proclaimed they were part of a, quote,
    ``a monthly retainer,'' unquote, for legal services. This claim
    fell apart in August when Federal prosecutors concluded, and I
    quote, ``in truth and in fact, there was no such retainer
    agreement,'' end of quote.
        Today, we will also hear Mr. Cohen's account of a meeting
    in 2016 in Donald Trump's office during which Roger Stone said
    over speaker phone that he had just spoken with Julian Assange,
    who said there would be a, quote, ``massive dump of emails that
    would damage Hillary Clinton's campaign,'' end of quote.
        According to Cohen, Mr. Trump replied, quote, ``Wouldn't
    that be great,'' end of quote.
        The testimony that Michael Cohen will provide today, ladies
    and gentlemen, is deeply disturbing, and it should be troubling
    to all Americans. We will all have to make our own evaluation
    of the evidence and Mr. Cohen's credibility as he admits he has
    repeatedly lied in the past. I agree with Ranking Member Jordan
    that this is an important factor we need to weigh, but we must
    weigh it, and we must hear from him.
        But where I disagree fundamentally with the ranking member
    involves his efforts to prevent the American people from
    hearing from Mr. Cohen. Mr. Cohen's testimony raises grave
    questions about the legality of Donald Trump's--President
    Donald Trump's conduct and the truthfulness of statements while
    he was President. We need to assess and investigate this new
    evidence as we uphold our constitutional--our oversight
    responsibilities. And we will continue after today to gather
    more documents and testimony in our search for the truth.
        I have made it abundantly clear to Mr. Cohen that if he
    comes here today and he does not tell him the truth--tell us
    the truth, I will be the first one to refer that--those
    untruthful statements to DOJ. So when people say he doesn't
    have anything to lose, he does have a lot to lose if he lies.
        And the American people, by the way, voted for
    accountability in November. And they have a right to hear Mr.
    Cohen in public so they can make their own judgments.
        Mr. Cohen's testimony is the beginning of the process, not
    the end. Ladies and gentlemen, the days of this committee
    protecting the President at all costs are over. They're over.
        Before I close, I want to comment about the scope of
    today's hearing. At the request of the House Intelligence
    Committee and my very good friend, Adam Schiff, Congressman
    Adam Schiff, the chairman, I intended, over the objections of
    the ranking member of our committee, to limit the scope of
    today's hearing to avoid questions about Russia.
        However, Mr. Cohen's written testimony--in his written
    testimony, he's made statements relating to Russia, and these
    are topics that, we understand, do not raise concern from the
    Department of Justice.
        So in fairness to the ranking member and all committee
    members, we will not restrict questions relating to the
    witness's testimony or related questions he is willing to
    answer.
        Finally, I remind members that we will need to remain
    mindful of those areas where there are ongoing Department of
    Justice investigations. Those scoping limitations have not
    changed.
        Finally, and to Mr. Cohen, Martin Luther King, Mr. Cohen,
    said some words that I leave with you today before you testify.
    He said, Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see
    the whole staircase. There comes a time when silence becomes
    betrayal. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about
    things that truly matter. In the end he says, we will remember
    not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.
        And with that, I yield to the distinguished gentleman, the
    ranking member of our committee, Mr. Jordan.
        Mr. Gosar. Mr. Chairman, point of parliamentary inquiry.
        Chairman Cummings. Yes.
        Mr. Gosar. To the point that----
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Jordan is recognized. Mr. Jordan is
    recognized for his opening statement.
        Mr. Jordan. Mr. Chairman, here we go. Here we go. Your
    first big hearing, your first announced witness, Michael Cohen.
    I want everyone in this room to think about this. The first
    announced witness for the 116th Congress is a guy who is going
    to prison in two months for lying to Congress.
        Mr. Chairman, your chairmanship will always be identified
    with this hearing. And we all need to understand what this is.
    This is the Michael Cohen hearing presented by Lanny Davis.
    That's right. Lanny Davis choreographed the whole darn thing.
    The Clintons' best friend, loyalist, operative. Lanny Davis put
    this all together.
        Do you know how we know? He told our staff. He told the
    committee staff. He said the hearing was his idea. He selected
    this committee. He had to talk Michael Cohen into coming. And
    most importantly, he had to persuade the chairman to actually
    have it. He told us it took two months to get that job done.
    But here we are. He talked him into it.
        This might be the first time someone convicted of lying to
    Congress has appeared again so quickly in front of Congress.
    Certainly, it's the first time a convicted perjurer has been
    brought back to be a star witness in a hearing. And there's a
    reason this is a first, because no other committee would do it.
        Think about this. With Mr. Cohen here, this committee, we
    got lots of lawyers on this committee, this committee is
    actually encouraging a witness to violate attorney-client
    privilege.
        Mr. Chairman, when we legitimize dishonesty, we
    delegitimize this institution. We're supposed to pursue the
    truth. But you have stacked the deck against the truth. We're
    only allowed to ask certain questions. Even with that amendment
    you just told us about, well, Russia is now on the table.
        You additionally told us we can't ask questions about the
    special counsel, can't ask questions about the Southern
    District of New York, can't ask questions about Russia. Nope.
    Nope. Only subjects we can talk about are ones you think are
    going to be harmful to the President of the United States. And
    the answers to those questions are going to come from a guy who
    can't be trusted.
        Here's what the U.S. attorney said about Mr. Cohen. While
    Mr. Cohen enjoyed a privileged life, his desire for ever-
    greater wealth and influence precipitated an extensive course
    of criminal conduct. Mr. Cohen committed four, four distinct
    Federal crimes over a period of several years. He was motivated
    to do so by personal greed. And repeatedly, repeatedly used his
    power and influence for deceptive ends.
        But the Democrats don't care. They don't care. They just
    want to use you, Mr. Cohen. You're their patsy today. They got
    to find somebody somewhere to say something so they can try to
    remove the President from office, because Tom Steyer told him
    to.
        Tom Steyer last week organized a town hall. Guess where?
    Chairman Nadler's district in Manhattan. Two nights ago, Tom
    Steyer organized a town hall. Guess where? Chairman Cummings'
    district in Baltimore. The best they can find--the best they
    can find to start this process, Michael Cohen. Fraudster, a
    cheat, a convicted felon, and in two months, a Federal inmate.
    Well, actually, they didn't find him. Lanny Davis found him.
        I'll say one thing about the Democrats. They stick to the
    playbook. Remember--remember how all this started. The Clinton
    campaign hired Perkins Coie law firm who hired Glenn Simpson
    who hired a foreigner, Christopher Steele, who put together the
    fake dossier that the FBI used to go get a warrant to spy on
    the Trump campaign.
        But when that whole scheme failed and the American people
    said we're going to make Donald Trump President, they said, We
    got to do something else. So now Clinton loyalist, Clinton
    operative Lanny Davis has persuaded the chairman of the
    Oversight Committee to give a convicted felon a forum to tell
    stories and lie about the President of the United States so
    they can all start their impeachment process.
        Mr. Chairman, we are better than this. We are better than
    this.
        I yield back.
        Chairman Cummings. I wanted to note.
        Mr. Jordan. Actually, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I have to
    motion.
        Chairman Cummings. Yield back.
        Mr. Jordan. I have a motion.
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman is not recognized.
        Mr. Jordan. I have a motion under rule 2(k)6 of Rule 11.
        Chairman Cummings. You yielded back, sir. You yielded back.
        Mr. Jordan. Mr. Chairman, you took 7 minutes. I took 4.
        Chairman Cummings. Well, the gentleman yielded back.
        Mr. Jordan. That's how you're going to operate?
        First you don't follow the rules, and now you're going to
    say--so you don't get--you get to----
        Chairman Cummings. Point of order. You--regular order.
        Mr. Jordan. You get to deviate from the rules.
        Chairman Cummings. Regular order.
        Mr. Jordan. I just have a simple motion, Mr. Chairman.
        Ms. Plaskett. Regular order.
        Chairman Cummings. Thank you.
        Mr. Jordan. It's a regular order to have the testimony 24
    hours in advance.
        Chairman Cummings. Excuse me. I wanted to note that----
        Mr. Connolly. We've addressed that.
        Chairman Cummings [continuing]. until Rule 11 Clause 4, all
    media and photographers must be officially credentialed to
    record these proceedings and take photographs.
        I also wanted to briefly address the spectators in the
    hearing room today. We welcome you and we respect your right to
    be here. We also ask, in turn, for your respect as we proceed
    with the business of the committee today. It is the intention
    of the committee to proceed without any disruptions. Any
    disruption of this committee will result in the United States
    Capitol Police restoring order, and that protesters will be
    removed. And we are grateful for your presence here today and
    your cooperation.
        Now I want to welcome Mr. Cohen and thank him for
    participating in today's hearing.
        Mr. Cohen, if you would please rise, and I will begin to
    swear you in.
        Raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm that the
    testimony that you are about to give is the whole truth and
    nothing but the truth, so help you God?
        Mr. Cohen. I do.
        Chairman Cummings. Let the record show that the witness
    answered in the affirmative. And thank you. And you may be
    seated.
        The microphones are sensitive, so please speak directly
    into them. Without objection, your written statement will be
    made a part of the record.
        With that, Mr. Cohen, you are now recognized to give an
    oral presentation of your testimony.

    STATEMENT OF MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER ATTORNEY TO PRESIDENT DONALD
                                 TRUMP

        Mr. Cohen. Chairman Cummings, Ranking Member Jordan, and
    members of the committee, thank you for inviting me here today.
    I have asked this committee to ensure that my family be
    protected from Presidential threats, and that the committee be
    sensitive to the questions pertaining to ongoing
    investigations. I thank you for your help and for your
    understanding.
        I am here under oath to correct the record, to answer the
    committee's questions truthfully, and to offer the American
    people what I know about President Trump. I recognize that some
    of you may doubt and attack me on my credibility. It is for
    this reason that I have incorporated into this opening
    statement documents that are irrefutable, and demonstrate that
    the information you will hear is accurate and truthful.
        Never in a million years did I imagine when I accepted a
    job in 2007 to work for Donald Trump that he would one day run
    for the presidency, to launch a campaign on a platform of hate
    and intolerance, and actively win. I regret the day I said yes
    to Mr. Trump. I regret all the help and support I gave him
    along the way. I am ashamed of my own failings and publicly
    accepted responsibility for them by pleading guilty in the
    Southern District of New York. I am ashamed of my weakness and
    my misplaced loyalty of the things I did for Mr. Trump in an
    effort to protect and promote him.
        I am ashamed that I chose to take part in concealing Mr.
    Trump's illicit acts rather than listening to my own
    conscience. I am ashamed, because I know what Mr. Trump is. He
    is a racist, he is a con man, and he is a cheat.
        He was a Presidential candidate who knew that Roger Stone
    was talking with Julian Assange about a WikiLeaks drop on
    Democratic National Committee emails. And I will explain each
    in a few moments.
        I am providing the committee today with several documents,
    and these include a copy of a check Mr. Trump wrote from his
    personal bank account, after he became President, to reimburse
    me for the hush money payments I made to cover up his affair
    with an adult film star, and to prevent damage to his campaign.
    Copies of financial statements from 2011, 2012, and 2013 that
    he gave to such institutions such as Deutsche Bank, a copy of
    an article with Mr. Trump's handwriting on it that reported on
    the auction of a portrait of himself that he arranged for the
    bidder ahead of time and then reimbursed the bidder from the
    account of his nonprofit charitable foundation, with the
    picture now hanging in one of his country clubs, and copies of
    letters I wrote at Mr. Trump's direction that threatened his
    high school, colleges, and the College Board not to release his
    grades or SAT scores.
        I hope my appearance here today, my guilty plea, and my
    work with law enforcement agencies are steps along a path of
    redemption that will restore faith in me and help this country
    understand our President better.
        Before going further, I want to apologize to each member,
    to you as Congress, as a whole. The last time I appeared before
    Congress, I came to protect Mr. Trump. Today, I am here to tell
    the truth about Mr. Trump. I lied to Congress when Mr. Trump
    stopped negotiating the Moscow tower project in Russia. I
    stated that we stopped negotiating in January 2016. That was
    false. Our negotiations continued for months later during the
    campaign.
        Mr. Trump did not directly tell me to lie to Congress.
    That's not how he operates. In conversations we had during the
    campaign, at the same time, I was actively negotiating in
    Russia for him, he would look me in the eye and tell me,
    there's no Russian business, and then go on to lie to the
    American people by saying the same thing. In his way, he was
    telling me to lie.
        There are at least a half a dozen times between the Iowa
    caucus in January 2016 and the end of June when he would ask me
    how's it going in Russia, referring to the Moscow tower
    project.
        You need to know that Mr. Trump's personal lawyers reviewed
    and edited my statement to Congress about the timing of the
    Moscow tower negotiations before I gave it. So to be clear, Mr.
    Trump knew of and directed the Trump-Moscow negotiations
    throughout the campaign and lied about it. He lied about it
    because he never expected to win. He also lied about it because
    he stood to make hundreds of millions of dollars on the Moscow
    real estate project.
        So I lied about it too, because Mr. Trump had made clear to
    me, through his personal statements to me that we both knew to
    be false and through his lies to the country, that he wanted me
    to lie. And he made it clear to me, because his personal
    attorneys reviewed my statement before I gave it to Congress.
        Over the past two years, I have been smeared as a rat by
    the President of the United States. The truth is much
    different. And let me take a brief moment to introduce myself.
        My name is Michael Dean Cohen, and I am a blessed husband
    of 24 years and a father to an incredible daughter and son.
        When I married my wife, I promised her that I would love
    her, I would cherish her, and I would protect her. As my father
    said countless times throughout my childhood, you, my wife, and
    you, my children, are the air that I breathe.
        So to my Laura and to my Sami, and to my Jake, there is
    nothing I wouldn't do to protect you.
        I have always tried to live a life of loyalty, friendship,
    generosity, and compassion. It is qualities my parents
    engrained in my siblings and me since childhood. My father
    survived the Holocaust. Thanks to the compassion and selfless
    acts of others, he was helped by many who put themselves in
    harm's way to do what they knew was right. And that is why my
    first instinct has always been to help those in need. And Mom
    and Dad, I am sorry I let you down.
        As the many people that know me best would say, I am the
    person that they call at 3 a.m. if they needed help. And I
    proudly remember being the emergency contact for many of my
    children's friends when they were growing up, because their
    parents knew that I would drop everything and care for them as
    if they were my own.
        Yet last fall, I pled guilty in Federal court to felonies
    for the benefit of, at the direction of, and in coordination
    with individual No. 1. And for the record, individual No. 1 is
    President Donald J. Trump.
        It is painful to admit that I was motivated by ambition at
    times. It is even more painful to admit that many times I
    ignored my conscience and acted loyal to a man when I should
    not have. Sitting here today, it seems unbelievable that I was
    so mesmerized by Donald Trump that I was willing to do things
    for him that I knew were absolutely wrong. For that reason, I
    have come here to apologize to my family, to my government, and
    to the American people.
        Accordingly, let me now tell you about Mr. Trump.
        I got to know him very well working very closely with him
    for more than 10 years as his executive vice president and
    special counsel, and then as personal attorney when he became
    President.
        When I first met Mr. Trump, he was a successful
    entrepreneur, a real estate giant, and an icon. Being around
    Mr. Trump was intoxicating. When you were in his presence, you
    felt like you were involved in something greater than yourself,
    that you were somehow changing the world. I wound up touting
    the Trump narrative for over a decade. That was my job. Always
    stay on message. Always defend. It monopolized my life.
        At first, I worked mostly on real estate developments and
    other business transactions. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Trump
    brought me into his personal life and private dealings. Over
    time, I saw his true character revealed.
        Mr. Trump is an enigma. He is complicated, as am I. He is
    both good and bad, as are we all. But the bad far outweighs the
    good. And since taking office, he has become the worst version
    of himself.
        He is capable of behaving kindly, but he is not kind. He is
    capable of committing acts of generosity, but he is not
    generous. He is capable of being loyal, but he is fundamentally
    disloyal.
        Donald Trump is a man who ran for office to make his brand
    great, not to make our country great. He had no desire or
    intention to lead this Nation, only to market himself and to
    build his wealth and power.
        Mr. Trump would often say this campaign was going to be the
    greatest infomercial in political history. He never expected to
    win the primary. He never expected to win the general election.
    The campaign for him was always a marketing opportunity.
        I knew early on in my work for Mr. Trump that he would
    direct me to lie to further his business interests. And I am
    ashamed to say that when it was for a real estate mogul in the
    private sector, I considered it trivial. As the President, I
    consider it significant and dangerous.
        In the mix, lying for Mr. Trump was normalized, and no one
    around him questioned it. In fairness, no one around him today
    questions it either. A lot of people have asked me about
    whether Mr. Trump knew about the release of the hacked
    documents, the Democratic National Committee emails ahead of
    time. And the answer is yes.
        As I earlier stated, Mr. Trump knew from Roger Stone in
    advance about the WikiLeaks drop of emails. In July 2016, days
    before the Democratic Convention, I was in Mr. Trump's office
    when his secretary announced that Roger Stone was on the phone.
    Mr. Trump put Mr. Stone on the speaker phone. Mr. Stone told
    Mr. Trump that he had just gotten off the phone with Julian
    Assange, and that Mr. Assange told Mr. Stone that within a
    couple of days, there would be a massive dump of emails that
    would damage Hillary Clinton's campaign.
        Mr. Trump responded by stating to the effect, Wouldn't that
    be great.
        Mr. Trump is a racist. The country has seen Mr. Trump court
    white supremacists and bigots. You have heard him call poorer
    countries shitholes. His private--in private he is even worse.
        He once asked me if I can name a country run by a black
    person that wasn't a shithole. This was when Barack Obama was
    President of the United States. And while we were once driving
    through a struggling neighborhood in Chicago, he commented that
    only black people could live that way. And he told me that
    black people would never vote for him because they were too
    stupid. And yet, I continued to work for him.
        Mr. Trump is a cheat. As previously stated, I am giving to
    the committee today three years of Mr. Trump's personal
    financial statements from 2011, 2012, and 2013, which he gave
    to Deutsche Bank to inquire about a loan to buy the Buffalo
    Bills and to Forbes. These are exhibits 1A, 1B,and 1C to my
    testimony. [Exhibits are available at:  https://
    oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/
    Michael%20Cohen.02.27.2019.Exhibits.pdf.]
        It was my experience that Mr. Trump inflated his total
    assets when it served his purposes, such as trying to be listed
    amongst the wealthiest people in Forbes and deflated his assets
    to reduce his real estate taxes.
        I'm sharing with you two newspaper articles side-by-side
    that are examples of Mr. Trump inflating and deflating his
    assets, as I said, to suit his financial interests. These are
    exhibit 2 to my testimony.
        As I noted, I'm giving the committee today an article he
    wrote on and sent to me that reported on an auction of a
    portrait of Mr. Trump. This is exhibit 3A to my testimony. Mr.
    Trump directed me to find a straw bidder to purchase a portrait
    of him that was being auctioned off at an art Hampton's event.
    The objective was to ensure that this portrait, which was going
    to be auctioned last, would go for the highest price of any
    portrait that afternoon. The portrait was purchased by the fake
    bidder for $60,000.
        Mr. Trump directed the Trump Foundation, which is supposed
    to be a charitable organization, to repay the fake bidder,
    despite keeping the art for himself. And please see exhibit 3B
    to my testimony.
        It should come as no surprise that one of my more common
    responsibilities was that Mr. Trump directed me to call
    business owners, many of whom are small businesses, that were
    owed money for their services and told them that no payment or
    a reduced payment would be coming. When I asked Mr. Trump--or
    when I told Mr. Trump of my success, he actually reveled in it.
    And yet, I continued to work for him.
        Mr. Trump is a con man. He asked me to pay off an adult
    film star with whom he had an affair, and to lie about it to
    his wife, which I did. And lying to the First Lady is one of my
    biggest regrets, because she is a kind, good person, and I
    respect her greatly. And she did not deserve that.
        I am giving the committee today a copy of the $130,000 wire
    transfer from me to Ms. Clifford's attorney during the closing
    days of the Presidential campaign that was demanded by Ms.
    Clifford to maintain her silence about her affair with Mr.
    Trump. And this is exhibit 4 to my testimony.
        Mr. Trump directed me to use my own personal funds from a
    home equity line of credit to avoid any money being traced back
    to him that could negatively impact his campaign. And I did
    that too, without bothering to consider whether that was
    improper much less whether it was the right thing to do, or how
    it would impact me, my family, or the public. And I am going to
    jail, in part, because of my decision to help Mr. Trump hide
    that payment from the American people before they voted a few
    days later.
        As exhibit 5A to my testimony shows, I am providing a copy
    of a $35,000 check that President Trump personally signed from
    his personal bank account on August 1 of 2017, when he was
    President of the United States, pursuant to the coverup which
    was the basis of my guilty plea to reimburse me, the word used
    by Mr. Trump's TV lawyer for the illegal hush money I paid on
    his behalf.
        This $35,000 check was one of 11 check installments that
    was paid throughout the year while he was President. Other
    checks to reimburse me for the hush money payments were signed
    by Donald Trump, Jr., and Allen Weisselberg. And see that
    example, 5B.
        The President of the United States thus wrote a personal
    check for the payment of hush money as part of a criminal
    scheme to violate campaign finance laws. And you can find the
    details of that scheme directed by Mr. Trump in the pleadings
    in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New
    York.
        So picture this scene. In February 2017, one month into his
    presidency, I'm visiting President Trump in the oval office for
    the first time, and it's truthfully awe-inspiring. He's showing
    me all around and pointing to different paintings. And he says
    to me something to the effect of, Don't worry, Michael. Your
    January and February reimbursement checks are coming. They were
    FedEx'd from New York. And it takes a while for that to get
    through the White House system.
        As he promised, I received the first check for the
    reimbursement of $70,000 not long thereafter.
        When I say con man, I'm talking about a man who declares
    himself brilliant, but directed me to threaten his high school,
    his colleges, and the College Board to never release his grades
    or SAT scores. As I mentioned, I'm giving the committee today
    copies of a letter I sent at Mr. Trump's direction, threatening
    these schools with civil and criminal actions if Mr. Trump's
    grades or SAT scores were ever disclosed without his
    permission. And these are under exhibit 6.
        The irony wasn't lost on me at the time that Mr. Trump, in
    2011, had strongly criticized President Obama for not releasing
    his grades. As you can see in exhibit 7, Mr. Trump declared,
    Let him show his records, after calling President Obama a
    terrible student.
        The sad fact is that I never heard Mr. Trump say anything
    in private that led me to believe he loved our Nation or wanted
    to make it better. In fact, he did the opposite. When telling
    me in 2008 or 2009 that he was cutting employees' salaries in
    half, including mine. He showed me what he claimed was a $10
    million IRS tax refund. And he said that he could not believe
    how stupid the government was for giving someone like him that
    much money back.
        During the campaign, Mr. Trump said that he did not
    consider Vietnam veteran and prisoner of war, Senator John
    McCain, to be a hero because he likes people who weren't
    captured. At the same time, Mr. Trump tasked me to handle the
    negative press surrounding his medical deferment from the
    Vietnam draft.
        Mr. Trump claimed it was because of a bone spur. But when I
    asked for medical records, he gave me none and said that there
    was no surgery. He told me not to answer the specific questions
    by reporters, but rather, offer simply the fact that he
    received a medical deferment. He finished the conversation with
    the following comment. ``You think I'm stupid? I'm not going to
    Vietnam.'' And I find it ironic, Mr. President, that you are in
    Vietnam right now. And yet, I continued to work for him.
        The questions have been raised about whether I know of
    direct evidence that Mr. Trump or his campaign colluded with
    Russia. I do not. And I want to be clear. But I have my
    suspicions.
        Sometime in the summer of 2017, I read all over the media
    that there had been a meeting in Trump Tower in June 2016
    involving Don Jr. and others from the campaign with Russians,
    including a representative of the Russian Government, and an
    email setting up the meeting with the subject line, Dirt on
    Hillary Clinton.
        Something clicked in my mind. I remembered being in a room
    with Mr. Trump, probably in early June 2016, when something
    peculiar happened. Don Trump, Jr. came into the room and walked
    behind his father's desk, which in and of itself was unusual.
    People didn't just walk behind Mr. Trump's desk to talk to him.
        I recalled Don Jr. leaning over to his father and speaking
    in a low voice, which I could clearly hear, and saying, The
    meeting is all set. And I remember Mr. Trump saying, ``OK.
    Good. Let me know.''
        What struck me as I look back and thought about the
    exchange between Don Jr. and his father was, first, that Mr.
    Trump had frequently told me and others that his son Don Jr.
    had the worst judgment of anyone in the world. And also that
    Don Jr. would never set up any meeting of significance alone,
    and certainly not without checking with his father.
        I also knew that nothing went on in Trump world, especially
    the campaign, without Mr. Trump's knowledge and approval. So I
    concluded that Don Jr. was referring to that June 2016 Trump
    Tower meeting about dirt on Hillary with the Russian
    representatives when he walked behind his dad's desk that day,
    and that Mr. Trump knew that was the meeting Don Jr. was
    talking about when he said, That's good. Let me know.
        Over the past year or so, I have done some real soul
    searching. And I see now that my ambition and the intoxication
    of Trump power had much to do with the bad decisions in part
    that I made. And to you, Chairman Cummings and Ranking Member
    Jordan, the other members of this committee, the members of the
    House and Senate, I am sorry for my lies and for lying to
    Congress. And to our Nation, I am sorry for actively working to
    hide from you the truth about Mr. Trump when you needed it
    most.
        For those who question my motives for being here today, I
    understand. I have lied. But I am not a liar. And I have done
    bad things, but I am not a bad man. I have fixed things, but I
    am no longer your fixer, Mr. Trump. And I am going to prison
    and have shattered the safety and security that I tried so hard
    to provide for my family.
        My testimony certainly does not diminish the pain that I
    have caused my family and my friends. Nothing can do that. And
    I have never asked for, nor would I accept a pardon from
    President Trump.
        By coming today, I have caused my family to be the target
    of personal, scurrilous attacks by the President and his lawyer
    trying to intimidate me from appearing before this panel.
        Mr. Trump called me a rat for choosing to tell the truth,
    much like a mobster would do when one of his men decides to
    cooperate with the government. And as exhibit 8 shows, I have
    provided the committee with copies of tweets that Mr. Trump
    posted attacking me and my family. Only someone burying his
    head in the sand would not recognize them for what they are.
    It's encouragement to someone to do harm to me and my family.
        I never imagined that he would engage in vicious, false
    attacks on my family, and unleash his TV lawyer to do the same.
    And I hope this committee, and all Members of Congress on both
    sides of the aisle, make it clear that, as a Nation, we should
    not tolerate attempts to intimidate witnesses before Congress,
    and attacks on family are out of bounds and not acceptable.
        I wish to especially thank Speaker Pelosi for her
    statements, it's exhibit 9, to protect this institution and me,
    and the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on
    Intelligence, Adam Schiff, and you, Chairman Cummings, for
    likewise defending the institution and my family against the
    attacks by Mr. Trump, and also the many Republicans who have
    admonished the President as well.
        I am not a perfect man. I have done things I am not proud
    of. And I will live with the consequences of my actions for the
    rest of my life. But today, I get to decide the example that I
    set for my children, and how I attempt to change how history
    will remember me. I may not be able to change the past, but I
    can do right by the American people here today.
        I thank you for your attention, and I'm happy to answer the
    committee's questions.

        [Prepared Statement of Mr. Cohen follows:]
         WRITTEN TESTIMONY OF MICHAEL D. COHEN COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT
                    AND REFORM U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                               FEBRUARY 27, 2019

        Chairman Cummings, Ranking Member Jordan, and Members of the
    Committee, thank you for inviting me here today.
        I have asked this Committee to ensure that my family be protected
    from Presidential threats, and that the Committee be sensitive to the
    questions pertaining to ongoing investigations. Thank you for your help
    and for your understanding.
        I am here under oath to correct the record, to answer the
    Committee's questions truthfully, and to offer the American people what
    I know about President Trump.
        I recognize that some of you may doubt and attack me on my
    credibility. It is for this reason that I have incorporated into this
    opening statement documents that are irrefutable, and demonstrate that
    the information you will hear is accurate and truthful.
        Never in a million years did I imagine, when I accepted a job in
    2007 to work for Donald Trump, that he would one day run for President,
    launch a campaign on a platform of hate and intolerance, and actually
    win. I regret the day I said yes to Mr. Trump. I regret all the help
    and support I gave him along the way.
        I am ashamed of my own failings, and I publicly accepted
    responsibility for them by pleading guilty in the Southern District of
    New York.
        I am ashamed of my weakness and misplaced loyalty -- of the things
    I did for Mr. Trump in an effort to protect and promote him.
        I am ashamed that I chose to take part in concealing Mr. Trump's
    illicit acts rather than listening to my own conscience.
        I am ashamed because I know what Mr. Trump is.
        He is a racist.
        He is a conman.
        He is a cheat.
        He was a presidential candidate who knew that Roger Stone was
    talking with Julian Assange about a WikiLeaks drop of Democratic
    National Committee emails.
        I will explain each in a few moments.
        I am providing the Committee today with several documents. These
    include:

          A copy of a check Mr. Trump wrote from his personal bank
    account -- after he became president -- to reimburse me for the hush
    money payments I made to cover up his affair with an adult film star
    and prevent damage to his campaign;
          Copies of financial statements for 2011 - 2013 that he
    gave to such institutions as Deutsche Bank;
          A copy of an article with Mr. Trump's handwriting on it
    that reported on the auction of a portrait of himself -- he arranged
    for the bidder ahead of time and then reimbursed the bidder from the
    account of his non-profit charitable foundation, with the picture now
    hanging in one of his country clubs; and
          Copies of letters I wrote at Mr. Trump's direction that
    threatened his high school, colleges, and the College Board not to
    release his grades or SAT scores.

        I hope my appearance here today, my guilty plea, and my work with
    law enforcement agencies are steps along a path of redemption that will
    restore faith in me and help this country understand our president
    better.

              * * * * * * *

        Before going further, I want to apologize to each of you and to
    Congress as a whole.
        The last time I appeared before Congress, I came to protect Mr.
    Trump. Today, I'm here to tell the truth about Mr. Trump.
        I lied to Congress about when Mr. Trump stopped negotiating the
    Moscow Tower project in Russia. I stated that we stopped negotiating in
    January 2016. That was false -- our negotiations continued for months
    later during the campaign.
        Mr. Trump did not directly tell me to lie to Congress. That's not
    how he operates.
        In conversations we had during the campaign, at the same time I was
    actively negotiating in Russia for him, he would look me in the eye and
    tellme there's no business in Russia and then go out and lie to the
    American people by saying the same thing. In his way, he was telling me
    to lie.
        There were at least a half-dozen times between the Iowa Caucus in
    January 2016 and the end of June when he would ask me "it going in
    Russia?" referring to the Moscow Tower project.
        You need to know that Mr. Trump's personal lawyers reviewed and
    edited my statement to Congress about the timing of the Moscow Tower
    negotiations before I gave it.
        To be clear: Mr. Trump knew of and directed the Trump Moscow
    negotiations throughout the campaign and lied about it. He lied about
    it because he never expected to win the election. He also lied about it
    because he stood to make hundreds of millions of dollars on the Moscow
    real estate project.
        And so I lied about it, too -- because Mr. Trump had made clear to
    me, through his personal statements to me that we both knew were false
    and through his lies to the country, that he wanted me to lie. And he
    made itclear to me because his personal attorneys reviewed my statement
    before I gave it to Congress.

              * * * * * * *

        Over the past two years, I have been smeared as "a rat" by the
    President of the United States. The truth is much different, and let me
    take a brief moment to introduce myself.
        My name is Michael Dean Cohen.
        I am a blessed husband of 24 years and a father to an incredible
    daughter and son. When I married my wife, I promised her that I would
    love her, cherish her, and protect her. As my father said countless
    times throughout my childhood, "you my wife, and you my children, are
    the air that I breathe." To my Laura, my Sami, and my Jake, there is
    nothing I wouldn't do to protect you.
        I have always tried to live a life of loyalty, friendship,
    generosity, and compassion -- qualities my parents ingrained in my
    siblings and me since childhood. My father survived the Holocaust
    thanks to the compassion and selfless acts of others. He was helped by
    many who put themselves in harm's way to do what they knew was right.
        That is why my first instinct has always been to help those in
    need. Mom and Dad...I am sorry that I let you down.
        As many people that know me best would say, I am the person they
    would call at 3AM if they needed help. I proudly remember being the
    emergency contact for many of my children's friends when they were
    growing up because their parents knew that I would drop everything and
    care for them as if they were my own.
        Yet, last fall I pled guilty in federal court to felonies for the
    benefit of, at the direction of, and in coordination with Individual
    #1.
        For the record: Individual #1 is President Donald J. Trump.
        It is painful to admit that I was motivated by ambition at times.
    It is even more painful to admit that many times I ignored my
    conscience and acted loyal to a man when I should not have. Sitting
    here today, it seems unbelievable that I was so mesmerized by Donald
    Trump that I was willing to do things for him that I knew were
    absolutely wrong.
        For that reason, I have come here to apologize to my family, to the
    government, and to the American people.

              * * * * * * *

        Accordingly, let me now tell you about Mr. Trump.
        I got to know him very well, working very closely with him for more
    than 10 years, as his Executive Vice President and Special Counsel and
    then personal attorney when he became President. When I first met Mr.
    Trump, he was a successful entrepreneur, a real estate giant, and an
    icon. Being around Mr. Trump was intoxicating. When you were in his
    presence, you felt like you were involved in something greater than
    yourself -- that you were somehow changing the world.
        I wound up touting the Trump narrative for over a decade. That was
    my job. Always stay on message. Always defend. It monopolized my life.
    At first, I worked mostly on real estate developments and other
    business transactions. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Trump brought me into
    his personal life and private dealings. Over time, I saw his true
    character revealed.
        Mr. Trump is an enigma. He is complicated, as am I. He has both
    good and bad, as do we all. But the bad far outweighs the good, and
    since taking office, he has become the worst version of himself. He is
    capable of behaving kindly, but he is not kind. He is capable of
    committing acts of generosity, but he is not generous. He is capable of
    being loyal, but he is fundamentally disloyal.
        Donald Trump is a man who ran for office to make his brand great,
    not to make our country great. He had no desire or intention to lead
    this nation -- only to market himself and to build his wealth and
    power. Mr. Trump would often say, this campaign was going to be the
    "greatest infomercial in political history."
        He never expected to win the primary. He never expected to win the
    general election. The campaign -- for him -- was always a marketing
    opportunity.
        I knew early on in my work for Mr. Trump that he would direct me to
    lie to further his business interests. I am ashamed to say, that when
    it was for a real estate mogul in the private sector, I considered it
    trivial. As the President, I consider it significant and dangerous.
        But in the mix, lying for Mr. Trump was normalized, and no one
    around him questioned it. In fairness, no one around him today
    questions it, either.
        A lot of people have asked me about whether Mr. Trump knew about
    the release of the hacked Democratic National Committee emails ahead of
    time. The answer is yes.
        As I earlier stated, Mr. Trump knew from Roger Stone in advance
    about the WikiLeaks drop of emails.
        In July 2016, days before the Democratic convention, I was in Mr.
    Trump's office when his secretary announced that Roger Stone was on the
    phone. Mr. Trump put Mr. Stone on the speakerphone. Mr. Stone told Mr.
    Trump that he had just gotten off the phone with Julian Assange and
    that Mr. Assange told Mr. Stone that, within a couple of days, there
    would be a massive dump of emails that would damage Hillary Clinton's
    campaign.
        Mr. Trump responded by stating to the effect of "wouldn't that be
    great."
        Mr. Trump is a racist. The country has seen Mr. Trump court white
    supremacists and bigots. You have heard him call poorer countries
    "shitholes."
        In private, he is even worse.
        He once asked me if I could name a country run by a black person
    that wasn't a "shithole." This was when Barack Obama was President of
    the United States.
        While we were once driving through a struggling neighborhood in
    Chicago, he commented that only black people could live that way.
        And, he told me that black people would never vote for him because
    they were too stupid.
        And yet I continued to work for him.
        Mr. Trump is a cheat.
        As previously stated, I'm giving the Committee today three years of
    President Trump's financial statements, from 2011-2013, which he gave
    to Deutsche Bank to inquire about a loan to buy the Buffalo Bills and
    to Forbes. These are Exhibits 1a, 1b, and 1c to my testimony.
        It was my experience that Mr. Trump inflated his total assets when
    it served his purposes, such as trying to be listed among the
    wealthiest people in Forbes, and deflated his assets to reduce his real
    estate taxes.
        I am sharing with you two newspaper articles, side by side, that
    are examples of Mr. Trump inflating and deflating his assets, as I
    said, to suit his financial interests. These are Exhibit 2 to my
    testimony.
        As I noted, I'm giving the Committee today an article he wrote on,
    and sent me, that reported on an auction of a portrait of Mr. Trump.
    This is Exhibit3A to my testimony.
        Mr. Trump directed me to find a straw bidder to purchase a portrait
    of him that was being auctioned at an Art Hamptons Event. The objective
    was to ensure that his portrait, which was going to be auctioned last,
    would go for the highest price of any portrait that afternoon. The
    portrait was purchased by the fake bidder for $60,000. Mr. Trump
    directed the Trump Foundation, which is supposed to be a charitable
    organization, to repay the fake bidder, despite keeping the art for
    himself. Please see Exhibit 3B to my testimony.
        And it should come as no surprise that one of my more common
    responsibilities was that Mr. Trump directed me to call business
    owners, many of whom were small businesses, that were owed money for
    their services and told them no payment or a reduced payment would be
    coming. When I advised Mr. Trump of my success, he actually reveled in
    it.
        And yet, I continued to work for him.
        Mr. Trump is a conman.
        He asked me to pay off an adult film star with whom he had an
    affair, and to lie to his wife about it, which I did. Lying to the
    First Lady is one of my biggest regrets. She is a kind, good person. I
    respect her greatly -- and she did not deserve that.
        I am giving the Committee today a copy of the $130,000 wire
    transfer from me to Ms. Clifford's attorney during the closing days of
    the presidential campaign that was demanded by Ms. Clifford to maintain
    her silence about her affair with Mr. Trump. This is Exhibit 4 to my
    testimony.
        Mr. Trump directed me to use my own personal funds from a Home
    Equity Line of Credit to avoid any money being traced back to him that
    could negatively impact his campaign. I did that, too -- without
    bothering to consider whether that was improper, much less whether it
    was the right thing to do or how it would impact me, my family, or the
    public.
        I am going to jail in part because of my decision to help Mr. Trump
    hide that payment from the American people before they voted a few days
    later.
        As Exhibit 5 to my testimony shows, I am providing a copy of a
    $35,000 check that President Trump personally signed from his personal
    bank account on August 1, 2017 -- when he was President of the United
    States -- pursuant to the cover-up, which was the basis of my guilty
    plea, to reimburse me -- the word used by Mr. Trump's TV lawyer -- for
    the illegal hush money I paid on his behalf. This $35,000 check was one
    of 11 check installments that was paid throughout the year -- while he
    was President.
        The President of the United States thus wrote a personal check for
    the payment of hush money as part of a criminal scheme to violate
    campaign finance laws. You can find the details of that scheme,
    directed by Mr. Trump, in the pleadings in the U.S. District Court for
    the Southern District of New York.
        So picture this scene -- in February 2017, one month into his
    presidency, I'm visiting President Trump in the Oval Office for the
    first time. It's truly awe-inspiring, he's showing me around and
    pointing to different paintings, and he says to me something to the
    effect of ...Don't worry, Michael, your January and February
    reimbursement checks are coming. They were Fed- Exed from New York and
    it takes a while for that to get through the White House system." As he
    promised, I received the first check for the reimbursement of $70,000
    not long thereafter.
        When I say conman, I'm talking about a man who declares himself
    brilliant but directed me to threaten his high school, his colleges,
    and the College Board to never release his grades or SAT scores.
        As I mentioned, I'm giving the Committee today copies of a letter I
    sent at Mr. Trump's direction threatening these schools with civil and
    criminal actions if Mr. Trump's grades or SAT scores were ever
    disclosed without his permission. These are Exhibit 6.
        The irony wasn't lost on me at the time that Mr. Trump in 2011 had
    strongly criticized President Obama for not releasing his grades. As
    you can see in Exhibit 7, Mr. Trump declared "Let him show his records"
    after calling President Obama "a terrible student."
        The sad fact is that I never heard Mr. Trump say anything in
    private that led me to believe he loved our nation or wanted to make it
    better. In fact, he did the opposite.
        When telling me in 2008 that he was cutting employees' salaries in
    half including mine he showed me what he claimed was a $10 million IRS
    tax refund, and he said that he could not believe how stupid the
    government was for giving "someone like him" that much money back.
        During the campaign, Mr. Trump said he did not consider Vietnam
    Veteran, and Prisoner of War, Senator John McCain to be "a hero"
    because he likes people who weren't captured. At the same time, Mr.
    Trump tasked me to handle the negative press surrounding his medical
    deferment from the Vietnam draft.
        Mr. Trump claimed it was because of a bone spur, but when I asked
    for medical records, he gave me none and said there was no surgery. He
    told me not to answer the specific questions by reporters but rather
    offer simply the fact that he received a medical deferment.
        He finished the conversation with the following comment. "You think
    I'm stupid, I wasn't going to Vietnam."I find it ironic, President
    Trump, that you are in Vietnam right now. And yet, I continued to work
    for him.

              * * * * * * *

        Questions have been raised about whether I know of direct evidence
    that Mr. Trump or his campaign colluded with Russia. I do not. I want
    to be clear. But, I have my suspicions.
        Sometime in the summer of 2017, I read all over the media that
    there had been a meeting in Trump Tower in June 2016 involving Don Jr.
    and others from the campaign with Russians, including a representative
    of the Russian government, and an email setting up the meeting with the
    subject line, "Dirt on Hillary Clinton." Something clicked in my mind.
    I remember being in the room with Mr. Trump, probably in early June
    2016, when something peculiar happened. Don Jr. came into the room and
    walked behind his father' desk -- which in itself was unusual. People
    didn't just walk behind Mr. Trump's desk to talk to him. I recalled Don
    Jr. leaning over to his father and speaking in a low voice, which I
    could clearly hear, and saying: "The meeting is all set."I remember Mr.
    Trump saying, "Ok good...let me know."
        What struck me as I looked back and thought about that exchange
    between Don Jr. and his father was, first, that Mr. Trump had
    frequently told me and others that his son Don Jr. had the worst
    judgment of anyone in theworld. And also, that Don Jr. would never set
    up any meeting of any significance alone -- and certainly not without
    checking with his father.I also knew that nothing went on in Trump
    world, especially the campaign, without Mr. Trump's knowledge and
    approval. So, I concluded that Don Jr. was referring to that June 2016
    Trump Tower meeting about dirt on Hillary with the Russian
    representative when he walked behind his dad's desk that day -- and
    that Mr. Trump knew that was the meeting Don Jr. was talking about when
    he said, "That's good...let me know."

              * * * * * * *

        Over the past year or so, I have done some real soul searching. I
    see now that my ambition and the intoxication of Trump power had much
    to do with the bad decisions I made.
        To you, Chairman Cummings, Ranking Member Jordan, the other members
    of this Committee, and the other members of the House and Senate, I am
    sorry for my lies and for lying to Congress.
        To our nation, I am sorry for actively working to hide from you the
    truth about Mr. Trump when you needed it most.
        For those who question my motives for being here today, I
    understand. I have lied, but I am not a liar. I have done bad things,
    but I am not a bad man. I have fixed things, but I am no longer your
    "fixer," Mr. Trump.
        I am going to prison and have shattered the safety and security
    that I tried so hard to provide for my family. My testimony certainly
    does not diminishthe pain I caused my family and friends -- nothing can
    do that. And I have never asked for, nor would I accept, a pardon from
    President Trump.
        And, by coming today, I have caused my family to be the target of
    personal, scurrilous attacks by the President and his lawyer -- trying
    to intimidate me from appearing before this panel. Mr. Trump called me
    a "rat" for choosing to tell the truth -- much like a mobster would do
    when one of his men decides to cooperate with the government.
        As Exhibit 8 shows, I have provided the Committee with copies of
    Tweets that Mr. Trump posted, attacking me and my family -- only
    someone burying his head in the sand would not recognize them for what
    they are: encouragement to someone to do harm to me and my family.
        I never imagined that he would engage in vicious, false attacks on
    my family -- and unleash his TV-lawyer to do the same. I hope this
    committee and all members of Congress on both sides of the aisle will
    make it clear: As a nation, we should not tolerate attempts to
    intimidate witnesses before congress and attacks on family are out of
    bounds and not acceptable.
        I wish to especially thank Speaker Pelosi for her statements in
    Exhibit 9 to protect this institution and me, and the Chairman of the
    House PermanentSelect Committee on Intelligence Adam Schiff and
    Chairman Cummings for likewise defending this institution and my family
    against the attacks by Mr. Trump, and also the many Republicans who
    have admonished the President as well.
        I am not a perfect man. I have done things I am not proud of, and I
    will live with the consequences of my actions for the rest of my life.
        But today, I get to decide the example I set for my children and
    how I attempt to change how history will remember me. I may not be able
    to change the past, but I can do right by the American people here
    today.
        Thank you for your attention. I am happy to answer the Committee's
    questions.

        Chairman Cummings. Thank you very much, Mr. Cohen. I now
    recognize myself.
        Mr. Cohen, before I start, I want to make sure you really
    understand something. You have admitted lying to Congress, to
    this very body, and now you're going to prison for it.
        Do you, Mr. Cohen, recognize the gravity of your offenses?
        You are a lawyer, right?
        Mr. Cohen. As of yesterday, I am no longer a lawyer. I have
    lost my law license, amongst other things.
        Chairman Cummings. But you understand the gravity of this
    moment?
        Mr. Cohen. I most certainly do, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cummings. I want you to really hear this, Mr.
    Cohen. We will not tolerate lying to this Congress by anybody.
    We're in search of the truth.
        Do you understand that?
        Mr. Cohen. I do.
        Chairman Cummings. The President has also made numerous
    statements that turned out to be inaccurate. For example, he
    said he knew nothing about the hush money payments to Ms.
    Clifford. And his 2017 financial disclosure form said he never
    owed money to reimburse you for those payments. Yet in your
    testimony, Mr. Cohen, you said that you met with the President
    in the Oval Office in February 2017 and discussed his plans to
    reimburse you for money you paid.
        You say he told you, and I quote, ``Don't worry, Michael.
    Your January and February reimbursement checks are coming.'' Is
    that accurate? And was that in the oval office?
        Mr. Cohen. The statement is accurate, but the discussions
    regarding the reimbursement occurred long before he became
    President.
        Chairman Cummings. Would you explain that?
        Mr. Cohen. Back in 2017 when--actually, I apologize. In
    2016, prior to the election, I was contacted by Keith Davidson,
    who is the attorney--or was the attorney for Ms. Clifford, or
    Stormy Daniels.
        And after several rounds of conversations with him about
    purchasing her life rights for $130,000, what I did, each and
    every time, is go straight into Mr. Trump's office and discuss
    the issue with him, when it was ultimately determined, and this
    was days before the election, that Mr. Trump was going to pay
    the $130,000, in the office with me was Allen Weisselberg, the
    chief financial officer of the Trump Organization. He
    acknowledged to Allen that he was going to pay the 130,000, and
    that Allen and I should go back to his office and figure out
    how to do it.
        So, yes, sir I stand by the statement that I gave, but
    there was a history to it.
        Chairman Cummings. In your testimony, you said you bought
    some checks; is that right?
        You said you brought some checks?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, sir.
        Chairman Cummings. Let me ask you about one of these.
        This is from the Trump Trust that holds the President's
    businesses, can you tell me who signed this check?
        Mr. Cohen. I believe that the top signature is Donald
    Trump, Jr., and that the bottom signature, I believe, is Allen
    Weisselberg's.
        Chairman Cummings. And can you tell me the date of that
    check?
        Mr. Cohen. March 17 of 2017.
        Chairman Cummings. Now, wait, wait a minute. Hold up. The
    date on the check is after President Trump held his big press
    conference claiming that he gave up control of his businesses.
    How could the President have arranged for you to get this check
    if he was supposedly playing no role in his business?
        Mr. Cohen. Because the payments were designed to be paid
    over the course of 12 months, and it was declared to be a
    retainer for services that would be provided for the year of
    2017.
        Chairman Cummings. Was there a retainer agreement?
        Mr. Cohen. There was no retainer agreement.
        Chairman Cummings. Would Don Jr. or Mr. Weisselberg have
    more information about that?
        Mr. Cohen. Mr. Weisselberg for sure about the entire
    discussions and negotiations prior to the election, and Don Jr.
    would have cursory information.
        Chairman Cummings. Now here's another one. This one appears
    to be signed by Donald Trump himself. Is that his signature?
        Mr. Cohen. That is Donald Trump's signature.
        Chairman Cummings. So let me make sure I understand. Donald
    Trump wrote you a check out of his personal account while he
    was serving as President of the United States of America to
    reimburse you for hush money payments to Ms. Clifford. Is that
    what you are telling the American people today?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cummings. One final question. The President
    claimed he knew nothing about these payments. His ethics filing
    said he owed nothing to you. Based on your conversations with
    him is there any doubt in your mind that President Trump knew
    exactly what he was paying for?
        Mr. Cohen. There is no doubt in my mind, and I truly
    believe there is no doubt in the mind of the people of the
    United States of America.
        Chairman Cummings. And these new documents appear to
    corroborate what you just told us.
        With that, I will yield to the gentleman from Ohio.
        Mr. Jordan. I will make sure that you and I meet one day
    while we are in the courthouse, and I will take you for every
    penny you still don't have, and I will come after your Daily
    Beast and everybody else that you possibly know. So I am
    warning you, tread very f'ing lightly because what I am going
    to do to you is going to be f'ing disgusting. Do you understand
    me?
        Mr. Cohen, who said that.
        Mr. Cohen. I did.
        Mr. Jordan. And did you say that, Mr. Cohen--in your
    testimony on page 2 you said you did things for Mr. Trump in an
    effort to protect him. Was that Statement that I just read that
    you admitted to saying, did you do that to protect Donald
    Trump?
        Mr. Cohen. I did it to protect Mr. Trump, Donald Trump,
    Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump.
        Mr. Jordan. And in your sentencing statement back in
    December in front of the judge you said this, Mr. Cohen: My
    weakness can be characterized as a blind loyalty to Donald
    Trump, a blind loyalty that led me to choose a path of
    darkness. Is that accurate, Mr. Cohen?
        Mr. Cohen. I wrote that.
        Mr. Jordan. You wrote that and said that in front of the
    judge. Is that right?
        Mr. Cohen. That's correct.
        Mr. Jordan. Let me read a few other things here, and let me
    ask you why you did some of these things.
        When you filed a false tax return in 2012, 2013, 2014,
    2015, and 2016, was all that out of blind loyalty to the
    President?
        Mr. Cohen. No, it was not.
        Mr.Jordan. When you failed to report $4 million in income
    to the Internal Revenue Service did you do that to protect
    Donald Trump?
        Mr. Cohen. No, I did not.
        Mr. Jordan. And when you failed to pay $1.4 million in
    taxes -- I got constituents who don't make that in a lifetime
    -- when you failed to pay $1.4 million in taxes to the U.S.
    Treasury was that out of some blind loyalty to the President of
    the United States?
        Mr. Cohen. It was not. But the number was 1.38 and change,
    and I have paid that money back to the IRS at this time.
        Mr. Jordan. I think the American people will appreciate
    that 1.38 versus 1.4.
        Mr. Cohen. And I would also just like to say it was over a
    course of five years, approximately $260,000 a year.
        Mr. Jordan. That's what I said, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015,
    that's five years.
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Jordan. Got it. When you made false statements to
    financial institutions concerning a home equity line of credit,
    taxi medallions, and your Park Avenue apartment in 2013, 2014,
    and 2015, you pled guilty to making those false statements to
    those banks, was that all done to protect the President?
        Mr. Cohen. No, it was not.
        Mr. Jordan. How about this one. When you created the fake
    Twitter account Women for Cohen and paid a firm to post tweets
    like this one, ``In a world of lies, deception, and fraud we
    appreciate this honest guy @MichaelCohen, #TGIF, #handsome,
    #sexy,'' was that done to protect the President?
        Mr. Cohen. Mr. Jordan, I didn't actually set that up. It
    was done by a young lady that worked for RedFinch. And during
    the course of the campaign, which you would know, it is
    somewhat crazy and wild. We were having fun. That's what it
    was, sir. We were having fun.
        Mr. Jordan. Was it done to protect the President?
        Mr. Cohen. That was not done to protect the President.
        Mr. Jordan. Was it a fake Twitter account?
        Mr. Cohen. That was--no, that was a real Twitter account.
    It exists.
        Mr. Jordan. Did you pay a firm to create this Twitter
    account Women for Cohen?
        Mr. Cohen. I didn't pay the firm to do that. It was done by
    a young lady that works for the firm. And, again, sir, we were
    having fun during a stressful time.
        Mr. Jordan. The point is, Mr. Cohen, did you lie to protect
    the President or did you lie to help yourself?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm not sure how that helped me, sir.
        Mr. Jordan. I'm not sure how it did either.
        Mr. Cohen. Right.
        Mr. Jordan. The point is I think----
        Mr. Cohen. And I would like to also note that more than
    half the people----
        Mr. Jordan. And here's the point----
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. on that site are men.
        Mr. Jordan. Here's the point. The chairman just gave you a
    30-minute opening statement, and you have a history of lying
    over and over and over again.
        And, frankly, don't take my word for it, take what the
    court said, take what the Southern District of New York said:
    Cohen did crimes that were marked by a pattern of deception and
    that permeated his professional life. These crimes were
    distinct in their harms but bear a common set of circumstances.
    They each involved deception and were each, each motivated by
    personal greed and ambition.
        A pattern of deception for personal greed and ambition. And
    you just got 30 minutes of an opening statement where you
    trashed the President of the United States of America.
        Mr. Cohen, how long did you work for Donald Trump?
        Mr. Cohen. Approximately a decade.
        Mr. Jordan. Ten years?
        Mr. Cohen. That's correct.
        Mr. Jordan. And you said all these bad things about the
    President there in that last 30 minutes, and yet you worked for
    him for 10 years? All those bad things. I mean, if it is that
    bad I can see you working for him for 10 days, maybe 10 weeks,
    maybe even 10 months, but you worked for him for 10 years.
        Mr. Cohen, how long did you work in the White House?
        Mr. Cohen. I never worked in the White House.
        Mr. Jordan. And that's the point, isn't it, Mr. Cohen?
        Mr. Cohen. No, sir.
        Mr. Jordan. Yes, it is.
        Mr. Cohen. No, it is not, sir.
        Mr. Jordan. You wanted to work in the White House----
        Mr. Cohen. No, sir.
        Mr. Jordan [continuing]. and you didn't get brought to the
    dance. And now----
        Mr. Cohen. Sir, I was extremely proud to be personal
    attorney to the President of the United States of America. I
    did not want to go to the White House. I was offered jobs. I
    can tell you a story of Mr. Trump reaming out Reince Priebus
    because I had not taken a job where Mr. Trump wanted me to,
    which is working with Don McGahn at the White House General
    Counsel's Office.
        Mr. Jordan. Mr. Cohen, you worked for the President for----
        Mr. Cohen. Sir, one second. All right. What I said at the
    time, and I brought a lawyer in who produced a memo as to why I
    should not go in, because there would be no attorney-client
    privilege.
        Mr. Jordan. Mr. Cohen----
        Mr. Cohen. And in order to handle some of the matters that
    I talked about in my opening, that it would be best suited for
    me not to go in and that every President had a personal
    attorney.
        Mr. Jordan. Mr. Cohen, here's what I see, here's what I
    see. I see a guy who worked for 10 years and is here trashing
    the guy he worked for for 10 years, didn't get a job in the
    White House, and now--and now you are behaving just like
    everyone else who's got fired or didn't get the job they
    wanted, like Andy McCabe, like James Comey, same kind of
    selfish motivation after you don't get the thing you want.
    That's what I see here today, and I think that's what the
    American people see.
        Mr. Cohen. Mr. Jordan, all I wanted was what I got, to be
    personal attorney to the President, to enjoy the senior year of
    my son in high school and waiting for my daughter who is
    graduating from college to come back to New York. I got exactly
    what I want.
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time has expired.
        Mr. Jordan. Exactly what you want?
        Mr. Cohen. What I wanted. That's right.
        Mr. Jordan. You are going to prison.
        Mr. Cohen. I received exactly what I wanted.
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time has expired.
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz.
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Mr. Cohen, thank you for being here today.
        As you likely know, I served as the chair of the Democratic
    National Committee at the time of the Russian hacks and when
    Russia weaponized the messages that it had stolen.
        But I want to be clear my questions are not about the harm
    done to any individual by WikiLeaks and the Russians, it is
    about the possible and likely harm to the United States of
    America and our democracy. I have a series of questions that I
    hope will connect more of these dots.
        Mr. Cohen, is it your testimony that Mr. Trump had advance
    knowledge of the Russia-WikiLeaks release of the DNC's emails?
        Mr. Cohen. I can't -- I cannot answer that in a yes or no.
    He had advance notice that there was going to be a dump of
    emails, but at no time did I hear the specificity of what those
    emails were going to be.
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz. But you do testify today that he had
    advance knowledge of their imminent release.
        Mr. Cohen. That is what I had stated in my testimony.
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz. And that he shared that outcome?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, ma'am.
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Did Mr. Trump likely share this
    information with his daughter Ivanka, son Don Jr., or Jared
    Kushner?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm not aware of that.
        Ms.  Wasserman Schultz. Was Ivanka, Jared, or Don Jr. still
    involved in the Russian Tower deal at that time?
        Mr. Cohen. The company was involved in the deal, which
    meant that the family was involved in the deal.
        Ms.  Wasserman Schultz. If Mr. Trump and his daughter
    Ivanka and son Donald Jr. are involved in the Russian Trump
    Tower deal, is it possible the whole family is conflicted or
    compromised with a foreign adversary in the months before the
    election?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Based on your experience with the
    President and knowledge of his relationship with Mr. Stone, do
    you have reason to believe that the President explicitly or
    implicitly authorized Mr. Stone to make contact with WikiLeaks
    and to indicate the campaign's interest in the strategic
    release of these illegally hacked materials?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm not aware of that.
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Was Mr. Stone a free agent reporting
    back to the President what he had done or was he an agent of
    the campaign acting on behalf of the President and with his
    apparent authority?
        Mr. Cohen. No, he was a free agent.
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz. A free agent that was reporting back
    to the President what he had done?
        Mr. Cohen. Correct. He frequently reached out to Mr. Trump,
    and Mr. Trump was very happy to take his calls. It was free
    service.
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Roger Stone says he never spoke with
    Mr. Trump about WikiLeaks. How can we corroborate what you are
    saying?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't know, but I suspect that the special
    counsel's office and other government agencies have the
    information that you are seeking.
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Moving on to a little later in 2016,
    a major WikiLeaks dump happens hours after the Access Hollywood
    tape is released. Do you believe or are you aware of Mr. Trump
    coordinating or signaling for this email dump?
        Mr.Cohen. I'm unaware of that. I actually was not even in
    the country at the time of the Billy Bush tape. I was in London
    visiting my daughter.
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Knowing how Mr. Trump operates with
    his winning at all costs mentality, do you believe that he
    would cooperate or collude with a foreign power to win the
    Presidency? Is he capable of that?
        Mr. Cohen. It calls on so much speculation, ma'am, it would
    be unfair for me to give an answer to that.
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz. I understand, but you have a
    tremendous amount of experience----
        Mr. Cohen. Mr. Trump, he is all about winning, and he will
    do what is necessary to win.
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz. And in your opinion and experience,
    would he have the potential to cooperate or collude with a
    foreign power to win the Presidency at all costs?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Based on what you know, would Mr.
    Trump or did he lie about colluding and coordinating with the
    Russians at any point during the campaign?
        Mr. Cohen. So as I stated in my testimony, I wouldn't use
    the word colluding. Was there something odd about the back and
    forth praise with President Putin? Yes. But I'm not really sure
    that I can answer that question in terms of collusion.
        I was not part of the campaign. I don't know the other
    conversations that Mr. Trump had with other individuals.
    There's just so many dots that all seem to lead to the same
    direction.
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Finally, before my time expires, Mr.
    Cohen, the campaign and the entire Trump Organization appeared
    to be filthy with Russian contacts. There are Russian business
    contacts, there are campaign Russian contacts, there are lies
    about all of those contacts. And then we have Roger Stone
    informing the President just before the Democratic National
    Convention that WikiLeaks was going to drop documents in the
    public arena that we knew at that point were hacked and stolen
    by Russia from the Democratic National Committee.
        Chairman Cummings. The gentlelady's time has expired. You
    may answer her inquiry quickly.
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz. My question is, given all those
    connections, is it likely that Donald Trump was fully aware and
    had every intent of working with Russia to help make sure that
    he could win the Presidency at all costs?
        Mr. Cohen. So let me say that this is a matter that's
    currently being handled by the House Select and the Senate
    Select Intelligence Committees, as I would rather not answer
    that specific question, other than just to tell you that Mr.
    Trump's desire to win would have him work with anyone.
        And one other thing that I had said in my statement is that
    when it came to the Trump Tower Moscow project, it was worth
    hundreds of millions of dollars, and we never expected to win
    the election. So this was just business as usual.
        Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Thank you, Mr. Cohen.
        Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Green of Tennessee.
        Mr. Green. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Jordan.
        The chairman and this committee have promised members of
    the American people a fair and open process, yet the Democrats
    have vastly limited the scope of this hearing. They issued a
    gag order to try to tell members of this committee what we can
    and cannot talk about.
        My colleagues on the other side of the aisle claim that
    they want the truth, that they want transparency and fair
    oversight, yet the Democrats' witness to testify before
    Congress today is none other than a scorned man who is going to
    prison for lying to Congress.
        Let that sink in. He is going to prison for lying to
    Congress, and he is the star witness to Congress.
        If you read the sentencing report on Mr. Cohen words like
    ``deceptive'' and ``greedy'' are scattered throughout that
    report. It paints a picture of a narcissist, a bully who cannot
    tell the truth, whether it is about the President or about his
    own personal life. But today he is the majority party's star
    witness.
        If the Democrats were after the truth, they'd have an
    honest person here testifying. And if they were really after
    the truth, they'd not restrict the questioning to just a few
    topics. But let's take a look at those restricted topics.
        Mr. Chairman, the first topic in your limited scope that I
    can ask Mr. Cohen is about the President's debts. But, Mr.
    Chairman, didn't Mr. Cohen plead guilty to lying to banks about
    his personal finances? So we are asking a guy going to jail for
    lying about his debts to comment about the President's debts.
    He is the expert.
        Mr. Chairman, your next couple of topics say that I can ask
    Mr. Cohen about the President's compliance with financial
    disclosures and campaign finance laws. But didn't Mr. Cohen on
    two occasions break campaign finance law with his own
    donations? So again, the majority party's star witness on the
    President's compliance is a guy who broke compliance laws
    himself.
        Mr. Chairman, you graciously allow us to ask questions of
    Mr. Cohen on the President's dealings with the IRS and tax law.
    Your star witness here broke the law with regards to the IRS at
    least five times. He pled guilty on cheating on his taxes,
    lying to the IRS. He's the best witness you got?
        Next up, with the permission of the chairman I get to ask
    Mr. Cohen about his perspective on the President's business
    dealings. Let me get this straight. The witness lied to
    multiple financial institutions to get loans to pay off other
    loans just to keep himself afloat, and he is going to be the
    expert on business practices.
        Obviously, Mr. Chairman, the witness may produce documents
    that he suggests incriminates the President, yet he lies to
    banks. All of those lies were done on fraudulent documents,
    documents that he forged. Nothing he says or produces has any
    credibility. Apparently he even lied about delivering his own
    child, which his wife had to correct the record.
        Ladies and gentlemen, how on earth is this witness
    credible? With all the lies and deception, the self-serving
    fraud, it begs the question, what is the majority party doing
    here? No one can see this guy as credible. He will say whatever
    he wants to accomplish his own personal goals. He is a fake
    witness, and his presence here is a travesty. I hope the
    American people see through this. I know the people back in
    Tennessee will.
        And with that statement, sir, I have a few questions for
    the witness.
        With your loss of your law license--I think you mentioned
    in your opening statement that you had been disbarred--what is
    your source of income in the future?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't expect I'm going to have a source of
    income when I'm in Federal penitentiary.
        Mr. Green. Is there a book deal coming or anything like
    that?
        Mr. Cohen. I have no book deal right now in the process. I
    have been contacted by many, including for television, a movie.
    If you want to tell me who you would like to play you I'm more
    than happy to write the name down.
        Mr. Green. I'm sure there is a very attractive man.
        Mr. Cohen. I would also like to turn around and just to
    correct your statement on me. No individual----
        Mr. Green. Let me ask one other question, though. I only
    have a limited amount of time.
        Mr. Cohen. No individual----
        Mr. Green. One quick question. Who paid your expenses to be
    here today?
        Mr. Cohen. Who has paid my expenses?
        Mr. Green. To be here today.
        Mr. Cohen. I paid my expenses.
        Mr. Green. Mr. Chairman, I would like to yield the
    remaining of my time to the ranking member.
        Mr. Jordan. Mr. Cohen, how many times did you talk to the
    special counsel's office?
        Mr. Cohen. Seven.
        Mr. Jordan. Did they talk to you at all in preparation for
    today's hearing between the seven times you talked to them
    prior to your sentencing? Have you had any conversations with
    the special counsel's office between sentencing and today?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm sorry, sir. I don't understand your
    question.
        Mr. Jordan. You talked to them seven times, that's in the
    sentencing memorandums that were in front of the court back in
    December. What I'm asking is how many times you have talked to
    the special counsel's office since then up to today's
    appearance here in Congress?
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time has expired. You
    may answer the question, though, that one question.
        Mr. Cohen. I'm sorry. I don't have the answer to that.
        Chairman Cummings. Ms. Maloney.
        Mr. Jordan. That wasn't--well, I will come back to that.
        Ms. Maloney. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        And, Mr. Cohen, in your 10 years of working for Donald
    Trump did he control everything that went on in the Trump
    Organization? And did you have to get his permission in advance
    and report back after every meeting of any importance.
        Mr. Cohen. Yes. There was nothing that happened at The
    Trump Organization, from whether it was a response, as the
    Daily Beast story that you referred to, Ranking Member, that
    did not go through Mr. Trump with his approval and sign-off, as
    in the case of the payments.
        Ms. Maloney. How many times did the President, Michael, ask
    you or direct you to try to reach settlements with women in
    2015 and 2016?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm sorry, ma'am, I don't have the answer to
    that. I'd have to go back and try to recollect. It's certainly
    the two that we know about.
        Ms. Maloney. And why do you think the President did not
    provide the accurate information in his 2017 financial
    disclosure form? What was he trying to hide? He corrected other
    forms, but he didn't correct this one.
        Mr. Cohen. The payments on the reimbursement of the funds
    that I extended on his behalf.
        Ms. Maloney. All right. Can you elaborate more?
        Mr. Cohen. Well, going back into the story as I stated,
    when we, Allen Weisselberg and I, left the office and we went
    to his office in order to make the determination on how the
    money was going to be wired to the IOLA, the interest on the
    lawyer's account for Keith Davidson in California, I had asked
    Allen to use his money, didn't want to use mine, and he said he
    couldn't, and we then decided how else we can do it.
        And he asked me whether or not I know anybody who wants to
    have a party at one of his clubs that could pay me instead or
    somebody who may have wanted to become a member of one of the
    golf clubs, and I also don't have anybody that was interested
    in that.
        And it got to the point where it was down to the wire, it
    was either somebody wire the funds and purchase the life rights
    to the story from Ms. Clifford or it was going to end up being
    sold to television, and that would have embarrassed the
    President and it would have interfered with the election.
        Ms. Maloney. But the President has never amended his 2017
    form to this day, and while you are facing the consequences of
    going to jail, he is not.
        Mr. Cohen. Well, I believe that they amended a financial
    disclosure form and there is a footnote somewhere buried. I
    don't recall specifically what it says, but there is a footnote
    buried somewhere.
        Ms. Maloney. Can you describe, Michael, to the American
    people, catch and kill?
        Mr. Cohen. So catch and kill is a method that exists when
    you are working with a news outlet -- in this specific case it
    was AMI, National Enquirer, David Pecker, Dylan Howard, and
    others -- where they would contact me or Mr. Trump or someone
    and state that there's a story that's percolating out there
    that you may be interested in. And then what you do is you
    contact that individual and you purchase the rights to that
    story from them.
        Ms. Maloney. And you practiced this for the President?
        Mr. Cohen. I was involved in several of these catch and
    kill episodes. But these catch and kill scenarios existed
    between David Pecker and Mr. Trump long before I started
    working for him in 2007.
        Ms. Maloney. Michael, can you suggest who else this
    committee should talk to for additional information on this or
    anything else?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, I believe David Pecker, Dylan Howard, Barry
    Levine of AMI, as well, Allen Weisselberg, Alan Garten of Trump
    Organization, as well.
        Ms. Maloney. Well, thank you very much for your testimony.
        And, Mr. Chairman, this is a story of redemption.
        Mr. Cohen. Thank you, ma'am.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Comer.
        Mr. Comer. Mr. Cohen, in your testimony you stated that you
    began work for The Trump Organization as a lawyer dealing with
    real estate transactions. Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. That's correct.
        Mr. Comer. Prior to coming to Congress, I served as the
    director of two different banks, so I have seen hundreds of
    loan applications. And to try to determine your credibility
    here today I just wanted to ask you a couple of real estate
    transaction questions just to see how, in fact, you operate.
        According to the Southern District of New York prosecutors,
    you lied to banks to secure loans by falsely stating the amount
    of debt you were carrying. Mr. Cohen, my question to you, was
    it Donald Trump's fault that you knowingly committed a crime of
    deception to defraud a bank?
        Mr. Cohen. No, it's not.
        Mr. Comer. Was that fraudulent loan you obtained for The
    Trump Organization or for you personally?
        Mr. Cohen. It would be for me, though I'm not familiar with
    which loan that you are referring to.
        I would like to say one thing. Sir, I would like just to
    respond. The loan that you are talking about when we are
    talking about the home equity line of credit, which is what I
    believe you are referring to, no -- no individual----
        Mr. Comer. We are also referring to -- I'm going to ask a
    question pertaining to your summer home that you purchased.
        Mr. Cohen. I never purchased a summer home. No individual
    or no bank in the 22 years that I have had loans have ever lost
    a dollar with me. I owe no money to any bank.
        Mr. Comer. Well, the banks usually find out if someone is
    trying to deceive them.
        Did your so-called blind loyalty----
        Mr. Cohen. In 22 years I have no money that's ever been
    owed to any individual or any bank.
        Mr. Comer. Mr. Cohen, did your so-called blind loyalty to
    the President cause you to defraud the bank for your own
    personal gain?
        Mr. Cohen. Sir, I take exception to that because there's
    never been a fraud on a -- I never defrauded any bank.
        Mr. Comer. Well, let's dig a little deeper on that, on the
    bank fraud. According to the Southern District of New York, you
    failed to disclose more than $20 million in liabilities, as
    well as tens of thousands of dollars of monthly expenses.
    That's according to the Southern District of New York.
        Now, Mr. Cohen, you being lawyer, surely you knew you were
    breaking the law. Now, why would you have done that?
        Mr. Cohen. Sir, I'm not a CPA. And I pled guilty. I am
    going to prison as a result of it.
        Mr. Comer. Because you're a con?
        Mr. Cohen. No, sir, because I pled guilty, and I am going
    to be doing the time. I have caused tremendous, tremendous pain
    to my family, and I take no happiness----
        Mr. Comer. Let's go back to the -- one last question about
    the bank. When the bank found out about the liabilities that
    you failed to disclose you lied again to the bank -- this
    according to the Southern District of New York -- and said it
    had been expunged when, in fact, you just shifted the debt to
    another bank.
        So apparently, according to the information that we
    received, your intent to defraud the bank was for the desire to
    purchase the summer home for $8.5 million?
        Mr. Cohen. No, sir.
        Mr. Comer. That's not correct?
        Mr. Cohen. That would have been off of an equity line
    considering I had less than a 50 percent loan to value on the
    assets. And there was a preexisting line of credit that existed
    years before the date that you are referring to where--this is
    all surrounding New York City taxi medallions.
        Mr. Comer. But you understand that when you fail to
    disclose liabilities, especially $20 million in liabilities,
    that is, in fact, fraud?
        Mr. Cohen. Except even with the $20 million in liability--
    --
        Mr. Comer. How much was it?
        Mr. Cohen. The medallions were at that time worth over $45
    million.
        Mr. Comer. Mr. Cohen, you called Donald Trump a cheat in
    your opening testimony. What would you call yourself?
        Mr. Cohen. A fool.
        Mr. Comer. You calling -- OK. Well, no comment on that.
        Mr. Cohen. I appreciate that.
        Mr. Comer. Mr. Chairman, we said we were in search of the
    truth. I don't believe that Michael Cohen is capable of telling
    the truth.
        And I would hope that as this committee moves forward that
    when we have the opportunity to subpoena witnesses we subpoena
    witnesses that are not recently disbarred, are not convicted
    felons, and witnesses that haven't committed bank fraud and tax
    fraud. That is how we're going to determine the truth.
        So, Mr. Chairman, I'll yield the balance of my time to the
    ranking member.
        Mr. Jordan. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
        I would just make one point. We just had a five-minute
    debate where Mr. Cohen disputes what the Southern District of
    New York found, what the judge found, that he was actually
    guilty of committing bank fraud.
        If this statement back here doesn't say it all: Cohen's
    consciousness of wrongdoing is fleeting. His remorse is
    minimal. His instinct to blame others is strong.
        There's only one thing wrong with that statement: His
    remorse is nonexistent. He just debated a Member of Congress
    saying: I really didn't do anything wrong with the false bank
    things that I'm guilty of and going to prison for.
        Mr. Cohen. Mr. Jordan, that's not what I said, and you know
    that that's not what I said.
        Mr. Meadows. Will the gentleman yield?
        Mr. Cohen. I said I pled guilty and I take responsibility
    for my actions.
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time has expired. You
    may answer the question.
        Mr. Cohen. Shame on you, Mr. Jordan. That's not what I
    said. Shame on you.
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Chairman?
        Mr. Cohen. That's not what I said. What I said is I took
    responsibility and I take responsibility. What I was doing is
    explaining to the gentleman that his facts are inaccurate.
        I still -- I take responsibility for my mistakes, all
    right? I am remorseful, and I am going to prison. I will be
    away from my wife and family for years. So before you turn
    around and you cast more aspersions----
        Mr. Jordan. We all feel for that. I understand that.
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. please understand there are people
    watching you today that know me a whole lot better.
        I made mistakes. I own them. And I didn't fight with the
    Southern District of New York. I didn't put the system through
    an entire scenario. But what I did do is I pled guilty, and I
    am going to be, again, going to prison.
        Chairman Cummings. Ms. Norton.
        Ms. Norton. Mr. Cohen, at the center of the reasons you are
    going to prison is convictions for campaign finance violations,
    and they center around some salacious revelations.
        The Washington Post reported or aired an Access Hollywood
    video. It set a record for the number of people who watched,
    crashed the newspaper's server.
        But this happened in early October on the cusp of the
    election. What was Mr. Trump's reaction to the video becoming
    public at that time and was he concerned about the impact of
    that video on the election?
        Mr. Cohen. The answer is yes. As I stated before, I was in
    London at the time visiting my daughter, who is studying there
    for a Washington semester abroad, and I received a phone call
    during the dinner from Hope Hicks stating that she had just
    spoken to Mr. Trump and we need you to start making phone calls
    to the various different news outlets that you have
    relationships with, and we need to spin this. What we want to
    do is just to claim that this was men locker room talk.
        Ms. Norton. Was the concern about the election in
    particular?
        Mr. Cohen. The answer is yes.
        Then, couple that with Karen McDougal, which then came out
    around the same time. And then on top of that the Stormy
    Daniels matter.
        Ms. Norton. Yeah, and these things happened in the month
    before the election and almost one after the other. The Stormy
    Daniels revelation where prosecutors and officials--the
    prosecutors learned of that--of that matter and prosecutors
    stated that the officials at the magazine contacted you about
    the story. And the magazine, of course, is the National
    Enquirer. Is that correct, that they did come to you?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, ma'am.
        Ms. Norton. Were you concerned about this news story
    becoming public right after the Access Hollywood study in terms
    of impact on the election?
        Mr. Cohen. I was concerned about it, but more importantly,
    Mr. Trump was concerned about it.
        Ms. Norton. That was my next question. What was the
    President's concern about these matters becoming public in
    October as we were about to go into an election?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't think anybody would dispute this belief
    that after the wildfire that encompassed the Billy Bush tape,
    that a second followup to it would have been pleasant. And he
    was concerned with the effect that it had had on the campaign,
    on how women were seeing him, and ultimately whether or not he
    would have a shot in the general election.
        Ms. Norton. And so you negotiated the $130,000 payment.
        Mr. Cohen. The $130,000 number was not a number that was
    actually negotiated. It was told to me by Keith Davidson that
    this is a number that Ms. Clifford wanted.
        Ms. Norton. Well, you finally completed that deal, as it
    were, on October the 25th.
        Mr. Cohen. Twenty-eighth.
        Ms. Norton. Days before the election. What happened in the
    interim?
        Mr. Cohen. Contemplated whether or not to do it. Wasn't
    sure if she was really going to go public. It was again some
    communications back and forth between myself and Keith
    Davidson.
        And ultimately it came to either do it or don't, at which
    time, again, I had gone into Mr. Trump's office, as I did after
    each and every conversation, and he had told me that he had
    spoken to a couple of friends, and it is 130,000, it is not a
    lot of money, and we should just do it, so go ahead and do it.
    And I was at the time with Allen Weisselberg, where he directed
    us to go back to Mr. Weisselberg's office and figure this all
    out.
        Ms. Norton. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Meadows.
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Cohen, do you know Lynne Patton? I'm right
    here.
        Mr. Cohen. Oh, yes, sir.
        Mr. Meadows. Do you know Lynne Patton?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, I do.
        Mr. Meadows. I asked Lynne to come today in her personal
    capacity to actually shed some light.
        How long have you known Ms. Patton?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm responsible for Lynne Patton joining The
    Trump Organization and the job that she currently holds.
        Mr. Meadows. Well, that's -- I'm glad you acknowledged
    that, because you made some very demeaning comments about the
    President that Ms. Patton doesn't agree with. In fact, it has
    to do with your claim of racism. She says that as a daughter of
    a man born in Birmingham, Alabama, that there is no way that
    she would work for an individual who was racist.
        How do you reconcile the two of those?
        Mr. Cohen. As neither should I, as the son of a Holocaust
    survivor.
        Mr. Meadows. But, Mr. Cohen, I guess what I'm saying is, is
    I have talked to the President over 300 times. I have not heard
    one time a racist comment out of his mouth in private.
        So how do you reconcile it? Do you have proof of those
    conversations?
        Mr. Cohen. I would ask you to----
        Mr. Meadows. Do you have tape recordings of those
    conversations?
        Mr. Cohen. No, sir.
        Mr. Meadows. Well, you have taped everybody else, why
    wouldn't you have a tape of----
        Mr. Cohen. That's also not true, sir. That's not true.
        Mr. Meadows. You haven't taped anybody?
        Mr. Cohen. I have taped individuals.
        Mr. Meadows. How many times have you taped individuals?
        Mr. Cohen. Maybe 100 times over 10 years.
        Mr. Meadows. Is that a low estimate? Because I have heard
    it is over 200 times.
        Mr. Cohen. No, I don't think. I think it is approximately
    about 100, from what I recall. But I was asked--you asked me a
    question, sir, so here's----
        Mr. Meadows. Do you have proof? Do you have proof, yes or
    no?
        Mr. Cohen. I do. I do.
        Mr. Meadows. Where is the proof?
        Mr. Cohen. Ask Ms. Patton how many people who are Black are
    executives at The Trump Organization, and the answer is zero.
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Cohen, we can go through this.
        I would ask unanimous consent that her entire statement be
    put in the record.
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection.

        [The information referred to follows:]
                          Statement from Lynne Patton

        As someone who considered Michael Cohen one of my very best friends
    for the past 10-plus years, virtually inseparable during our tenure at
    the Trump Organization (and even before) having personally introduced
    me to the Trump family, leading to my subsequent employment therein,
    and arguably, my current job, the only word that comes to mind this
    week is sad.
        I am sad that Michael has elected to leverage his own personal
    illegal activities into nothing more than political theater this week
    with the sole partisan purpose to embarrass a sitting President with
    unfounded personal or professional gossip .
        I am sad that Michael would turn his back on a man to whom he has
    repeatedly said he owes everything in the hope of a reduced prison
    sentence.
        Lastly, I'm sad for myself.
        Sad that I have wasted so much time and energy caring, supporting
    and loving a man I now realize I truly never knew.
        If Michael Cohen had anything of substance to offer against the
    President of the United States, Mueller would not have rejected his
    plea for leniency and Cohen would not be going to jail. Period.
        Above all, I am sad that Michael would, once again, on a world
    stage, levy unsubstantiated claims, particularly against a man who has
    single-handedly raised five of the most unbiased and open-minded
    children I've ever known. Four of whom I count among my very best
    friends, to date.
        I stated this in my viral video back in 2015 and I'll say it again:
    as the daughter of a man born in Birmingham, Alabama, there is no
    amount of money in the world that would make me work for a man who I
    thought harbored bigoted or racist ideologies. People who have known
    this man far less than I have have been offered over seven figures to
    write best-selling works of fiction, yet the thought has never crossed
    my mind. So I truly mean it when I say there is no amount of money in
    the world to make me either work for (nor sell out) this family. Zero.
        The bottom line is that, much like Omarosa Manigault Newman, it
    does not take someone 15 years to figure out someone is a racist.
    Unless of course, they're not one.

        Mr. Meadows. All right. Let me go on a little bit further.
        Did you collect $1.2 million or so from Novartis?
        Mr. Cohen. I did.
        Mr. Meadows. For access to the Trump administration?
        Mr. Cohen. No, sir.
        Mr. Meadows. Why did you collect it?
        Mr. Cohen. Because they came to me based upon my knowledge
    of the enigma Donald Trump, what he thinks----
        Mr. Meadows. So they paid----
        Mr. Cohen. Sir, please let me finish.
        Mr. Meadows. No. Did they pay you $1.2 million----
        Mr. Cohen. We've already said that.
        Mr. Meadows [continuing]. to give them advice?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, they did. A multibillion-dollar
    conglomerate came to me looking for information, not something
    that's unusual here in D.C., looking for information, and they
    believed that I had a value.
        Mr. Meadows. So how many times did you meet with them?
        Mr. Cohen. And that the value was the insight that I was
    capable of offering them----
        Mr. Meadows. How many times----
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. and they were willing to pay.
        Mr. Meadows. How many times did you meet with them? For
    $1.2 million, how many times did you meet with them?
        Mr. Cohen. I provided them with both in-person as well as
    telephone access whenever they needed.
        Mr. Meadows. How many times -- that's a question, Mr.
    Cohen.
        Mr. Cohen. I don't recall sir.
        Mr. Meadows. So did you ever talk to them?
        Mr. Cohen. I spoke to them on several occasions, yes
        Mr. Meadows. How many?
        Mr. Cohen. Six times.
        Mr. Meadows. Six times. Wow, $200,000 a call?
        Mr. Cohen. Sir, I also would like to bring to your
    attention----
        Mr. Meadows. Hold on. This is my five minutes, Mr. Cohen,
    not yours.
        Did you get money from the Bank of Kazakhstan.
        Mr. Cohen. It's not a Bank of Kazakhstan, it's called BTA.
        Mr. Meadows. BTA Bank. Kazakhstan, BTA bank, did you get
    money from them?
        Mr. Cohen. I did.
        Mr. Meadows. For what purpose?
        Mr. Cohen. The purpose was because the former CEO of that
    bank had absconded with over--between $4 to $6 billion. And
    some of that money was here in the United States, and they
    sought my assistance in terms of finding, locating that money,
    and helping them to recollect it.
        Mr. Meadows. So are you saying that all the reports that
    you were paid in some estimates over $4 million to have access
    and understanding of the Trump administration, you are saying
    that all of that was just paid to you just because you're a
    nice guy?
        Mr. Cohen. I am a nice guy, but more importantly----
        Mr. Meadows. Well, I would beg to differ. The record
    reflects that you are not a nice guy.
        Mr. Cohen. Sir, each and every contract contained the
    clause, in my contracts, that said I will not lobby, and I do
    not do government relations work. In fact, in fact, Novartis
    sent me their contract, which stated specifically that they
    wanted me to lobby, that they wanted me to provide access to
    government, including the President.
        That information, that paragraph was crossed out by me,
    initialed, and written in my own handwriting that says I will
    not lobby or do government relations work.
        Mr. Meadows. So Novartis representatives say that it was
    like they were hiring a nonregistered lobbyist. So you disagree
    with that?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't know what they said, sir, but the
    contract speaks for itself.
        Mr. Meadows. Have you contacted anybody in the
    administration?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Meadows. To advocate on behalf of any aspect of any of
    your contracts?
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time has expired.
        Mr. Meadows. I ask unanimous consent, Mr. Chairman, I ask
    unanimous consent----
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time has expired. You
    may answer the question.
        Mr. Cohen. I don't know what you are referring to, sir.
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Chairman----
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Clay.
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Chairman----
        Mr. Clay. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Mr. Cohen, I'm pleased you agreed to testify today
    voluntarily.
        In my view, we are all here for just one reason, and that's
    the American people are tired of being lied to. They have been
    lied to by President Trump. They have been lied to by the
    President's children. They have been lied to by the President's
    legal representatives. And it pains me to say that they have
    been even lied to by his congressional enablers who are still
    devoted to perpetuating and protecting this giant con game on
    the American people.
        Now, Mr. Cohen, I would like to talk to you about the
    President's assets, since by law these must be reported
    accurately on his Federal financial disclosure and when he
    submits them for a bank loan.
        Mr. Cohen, you served for nearly a decade as then
    businessman Trump's personal attorney and so-called fixer. Did
    you also have an understanding of the President's assets and
    how he valued those items?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Clay. In November 2017 Crain's New York Business
    reported that The Trump Organization provided, quote,
    flagrantly untrue revenue figures going back to at least 2010
    to influence Crane's ranking of the largest private companies
    in New York. According to the reports, while The Trump
    Organization reported nearly $9.5 billion in revenues in 2016,
    public filings suggested revenues were actually less than one-
    tenth of that.
        To your knowledge, did the President or his company ever
    inflate assets or revenues?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Clay. And was that done with the President's knowledge
    or direction?
        Mr. Cohen. Everything was done with the knowledge and at
    the direction of Mr. Trump.
        Mr. Clay. Tell us why he would do that and what purpose did
    it serve.
        Mr. Cohen. It depends upon the situation. There were times
    that I was asked, again with Allen Weisselberg, the CFO, to go
    back and to speak with an individual from Forbes, because Mr.
    Trump wanted each year to have his net worth rise on the Forbes
    wealthiest individuals list.
        And so, what you do is you look at the assets and you try
    to finds an asset that has, say, for example, 40 Wall Street,
    which is about 1.2 million square feet, find an asset that is
    comparable, find the highest price per square foot that's
    achieved in the area, and apply it to that building.
        Or, if you are going off of your rent roll, you go by the
    gross rent roll times a multiple and you make up the multiple,
    which is something that he had talked about, and it is based
    upon what he wanted to value the asset at.
        Mr. Clay. You know, you have provided this committee with
    copies of the President's financial statements or parts of them
    from 2011, 2012, and '13.
        And, Mr. Chairman, I would like to submit those for the
    record. Mr. Chairman, I would like to submit the statements to
    the record.
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection, so ordered.[Cohen
    exhibits are available at: https://oversight.house.gov/sites/
    democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/
    Michael%20Cohen.02.27.2019.Exhibits.pdf.]
        Mr. Clay. Thank you.
        Can you explain why you had these financial statements and
    what you used them for?
        Mr. Cohen. So these financial statements were used by me
    for two purposes. One was discussing with media, whether it was
    Forbes or other magazines, to demonstrate Mr. Trump's
    significant net worth. That was one function.
        Another was when we were dealing later on with insurance
    companies we would provide them with these copies so that they
    would understand that the premium, which is based sometimes on
    the individual's capabilities to pay, would be reduced.
        Mr. Clay. And all of this was done at the President's
    direction and with his knowledge?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, because whatever the numbers would come
    back to be we would immediately report it back.
        Mr. Clay. And did this information provided to us inflate
    the President's assets?
        Mr. Cohen. I believe these numbers are inflated.
        Mr. Clay. And, of course, inviting--inflating assets to win
    a newspaper poll to boost your ego is not a crime. But to your
    knowledge, did the President ever provide inflated assets to a
    bank in order to help him obtain a loan?
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time has expired, but
    you may answer that question.
        Mr. Cohen. These documents and others were provided to
    Deutsche Bank on one occasion where I was with them in our
    attempt to obtain money so that we can put a bid on the Buffalo
    Bills.
        Mr. Clay. Thank you for your answers.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Hice of Georgia.
        Mr. Hice. I would like to yield a second to the gentleman
    from North Carolina.
        Mr. Meadows. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
        I want to ask unanimous consent to put into the record an
    article from Stat, which indicates that Mr. Cohen's promise to
    access not just Trump, but also the circle around him, it was
    almost as if we were hiring a lobbyist, close quote. I ask
    unanimous consent.
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection.

        [The Stat article is available at: https://
    www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2018/05/08/novartis-paid-400000-
    trump-attorney/]

        Mr. Meadows. I ask unanimous consent that we put into the
    record a criminal referral for violating Section 22 U.S.C. of
    the statute number 611. I ask unanimous consent that my letter
    referring Mr. Cohen for violating FARA for illegal lobbying
    activity be entered into the record.
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection, so ordered.
    MEMORANDUM

    From:        Mark Meadows, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on
                  Government Operations, House Oversight and
                  Reform Committee

    To:           The Honorable William P. Barr, Attorney General to
                  the United States

    RE:          Referral of Michael Cohen for Potential
                  Violation of 22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.
    _______________________________________________________________________
        As you know, Michael Cohen acted as the personal attorney for
    President Donald J. Trump from 2007 to April 2018. Shortly before the
    2016 election, Mr. Cohen created a limited liability company Essential
    Consultants, LLC, naming himself CEO.

        Evidence reviewed by our Committee strongly suggests Mr. Cohen made
    specific solicitations to foreign companies with business interests
    pending before the Trump administration, promising access to the
    Administration. Documents and information reviewed by our Committee
    also raises concerns Mr. Cohen's foreign clients expected official
    favors in return for enlisting him and Essential Consultants' services.

        Specifically, Cohen solicited Novartis, a pharmaceutical company
    from Switzerland, with policy objectives pending before the Federal
    Drug Administration, among other agencies. Novartis reportedly paid Mr.
    Cohen $1.2 million for promised access to the White House on health
    care policy. \1\
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \1\  MJ Lee et al., Inside Michael Cohen's Aggressive Pitch
    Promising Access to Trump, CNN (May 10, 2018), https://www.cnn.com/
    2018/05/09/politics/michael-cohen-trump-lobbying/index.html.

        Kazakhstan's BTA Bank paid Mr. Cohen an undisclosed sum under a
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    consulting agreement with Essential Consultants, LLC. \2\

        \2\  See, e.g., Christopher Brennan, Trump Associate Received More
    than $21M in Kazakh Oligarchs' Alleged Money laundering Scheme, NY
    DAILY NEWS (Apr. 25, 2018), https://www.nydailynews,com/news/national/
    trump-associate-received-21m-alleged-oligarth-scheme-article-1.3953189;
    Adam Davidson, Trump's Business of Corruption, NEW YORKER (Aug. 21,
    2017), https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/08/21/trumps-business-
    of-corruption.

        Similarly, Korean Aerospace Industries, a South Korean defense
    company, hired Mr. Cohen as it negotiated an Air Force contract valued
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    at $16 billion. \3\

        \3\  Amanda Macias, South Korean Defense Company That Paid Trump
    Lawyer Cohen $150,000 is poised to Win Part of a $16 Billion Pentagon
    Deal,CNBC (May 9,2018), https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/09/south-korean-
    firm-that-paid-trump-lawyer-cohen-poised-to-win-pentagon-deal.html.

        As you know, the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (FARA)
    prohibits individuals from acting as an agent of a foreign principal
    without first registering with the Department of Justice. The financial
    support Mr. Cohen enjoyed from his aforementioned business dealings
    with Swiss, Kazakh, and South Korean companies in exchange for his
    engagement in political activities before the Trump Administration
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    raise concerns he is in violation of FARA.

        Mr. Cohen's touting access to President Trump and the
    Administration with offers to influence matters that affect the
    business of companies like Novartis, BTA Bank, and Korean Aerospace
    Industries crosses into lobbying. Ultimately, Mr. Cohen appears to have
    been acting as an agent of several foreign principals and represented
    their interests before federal officials. Mr. Cohen actively solicited
    clients based on his proximity to the President and other members of
    the Administration, he received lucrative contracts from foreign
    clients with business pending before the Administration, and he
    provided significant, yet unspecified and vague services for these
    clients in exchange for his services.

        Accordingly, I am referring Michael Cohen to the Department of
    Justice for investigation of potential violation(s) of 22 U.S.C. 611
    et seq.
        Mr. Meadows. I ask unanimous consent that the first order
    of business for this committee is for us to look in a
    bipartisan way at criminal referrals at the next business
    meeting.
        Chairman Cummings. These are not documents, they're
    objections. They're objections.
        Mr. Meadows. So we're objecting to a unanimous consent
    request? Is that what, Mr. Chairman?
        I will yield back.
        Chairman Cummings. All right. Now, let me be clear. Mr.
    Hice, I'm going to give you your whole five minutes, all right?
        Mr. Hice. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cummings. In fairness to you.
        Mr. Hice. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Meadows, the chairman made me--the
    ranking member made me aware that I had given a little more
    time to Ms. Wasserman Schultz. I was going to let you do that
    anyway. But I just want the committee to know that because
    there's so many members I'm going to be strict on this five
    minutes, all right? All right.
        Thank you very much.
        Mr. Hice, you have five minutes.
        Mr. Hice. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Mr. Cohen, you claim that you've lied but you're not a
    liar. Just to set the record straight, if you lied you are a
    liar by definition.
        You also said a moment ago that the facts are inaccurate.
    If they are facts they are accurate, and that would make you
    inaccurate.
        But I would like take a moment to--I would like know who
    you consulted with to prepare for today's hearing, Lanny Davis
    and who else?
        Mr. Cohen. I consulted with my counsel Lanny Davis, as well
    as Michael Monaco.
        Mr. Hice. All right. Did you or Michael or Lanny Davis or
    anyone else cooperate with the Democrat majority to prepare for
    this hearing?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm sorry, say that again, please.
        Mr. Hice. Did you or anyone else on your team cooperate
    with the Democrat Party in preparing for this hearing?
        Mr. Cohen. We've spoken to the party.
        Mr. Hice. OK. Did you prepare with Chairman Cummings or
    anyone on your team?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm sorry, what do you mean by prepare?
        Mr. Hice. Prepare for this hearing.
        Mr. Cohen. Prepare? I prepared with my counsel.
        Mr. Hice. Did you prepare with the Democrat majority or
    Chairman Cummings?
        Mr. Cohen. We spoke with Chairman Cummings and the party.
        Mr. Hice. With Chairman Schiff?
        Mr. Cohen. I spoke with Chairman Schiff and his people, as
    well.
        Mr. Hice. Were there any other individuals acting as a
    liaise for you with the majority party?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm sorry, sir, what are you saying?
        Mr. Hice. Did you have a liaison other than that you have
    mentioned who were working with the majority to prepare for
    this hearing?
        Mr. Cohen. We spoke with the various individuals that you
    just raised, yes.
        Mr. Hice. Tom Steyer, regarding him or any of his
    representatives, anyone associated with him, is he or any of
    them paying Lanny Davis to represent you?
        Mr. Cohen. Not that I'm aware of.
        Mr. Hice. Who is paying Lanny Davis?
        Mr. Cohen. At the present moment no one.
        Mr. Hice. So he is doing all this work for nothing?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, sir.
        Mr. Hice. OK.
        Mr. Cohen. I hope so.
        Mr. Hice. I kind of doubt it.
        How did Lanny Davis come to represent you? Did he approach
    you or did you approach him?
        Mr. Cohen. I reached out to Lanny Davis at the
    recommendation of my former counsel over at McDermott Will &
    Emery, who knew Mr. Davis, and Mr. Davis----
        Mr. Hice. So you reached out to Mr. Davis?
        Mr. Cohen. I did, yes, initially.
        Mr. Hice. OK. So did you want to testify before Congress or
    did he urge you to testify here?
        Mr. Cohen. I was asked to come here. I am here, sir,
    voluntarily because it's my decision.
        Mr. Hice. You were asked by who? My question is, did he ask
    you to come here?
        Mr. Cohen. No, sir.
        Mr. Hice. OK. Because he says that he did ask you to come
    here and that he convinced you and also that he did the same
    with Chairman Cummings, as well.
        So your testimony here is that you approached Lanny Davis
    to represent you and to come here, he did not persuade you to
    come here.
        Mr. Cohen. He did not persuade me. Actually, Chairman
    Cummings, which is part of the conversations that we engaged in
    with his people, as well as Chairman Schiff and others, we
    spoke in order to ask me to come here voluntarily.
        Mr. Hice. I find the connecting of the dots here with Mr.
    Davis and you and, frankly, the chairman, and perhaps others to
    be rather stunning, that there is an agenda for all this
    happening here today. And I believe, frankly, that that's to
    bring the President down, to impugn the President.
        You made an oath last time you were here, and that oath
    meant nothing to you then. We had an oath here in this very
    room about a month ago and it was, quote, ``Be clear that I
    will seek the truth, nothing but the truth, so help me God,''
    end quote.
        That sounds like an oath to me. The chairman made that
    statement in this very room last month, but here we are today,
    our first big hearing, with, as you and we all know, a
    convicted liar, lying to Congress, a criminal.
        And I believe this witness is totally incompatible with the
    stated goal of having to seek the truth in this hearing. This
    is the first time in the history of Congress we have someone
    testifying here who has already been convicted of lying to
    Congress. So congratulations for being the first in Congress to
    do that, and Mr. Cummings, as well.
        Mr. Cohen. Thank you.
        Mr. Hice. I can't believe we have brought this committee to
    its knees in terms of losing its credibility, and it is a
    shameful mockery of what our purpose is.
        I yield back.
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time has expired.
        Mr. Lynch.
        Mr. Lynch. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Let me just pick up on those last comments. Want to talk
    about a low point? How about Mr. Papadopoulos pled guilty? Mr.
    Manafort convicted, pled guilty to two other charges? Mr. Gates
    pled guilty? Mr. Flynn pled guilty? Mr. Pinedo pled guilty? Mr.
    van der Zwann pled guilty? Mr. Kilimnik indicted for
    obstruction of justice?
        And for two years, you want to talk about an agenda, my
    friends on the other side of the aisle refused to bring of any
    of these people up before the committee. So today, for the
    first day, we have one witness who voluntarily is coming
    forward to testify. Your side ran away from the truth and we
    are trying to bring it to the American people.
        So, Mr. Cohen, first of all, thank you for voluntarily
    coming before the committee to testify. I want to ask you about
    your statements regarding Trump Tower and Moscow, and I want to
    drill down some of the facts and details.
        Now, you may not be aware of it, but this goes back a way.
    Back in 1987 Mr. Trump wrote that he had had ongoing
    discussions with Soviet officials back then to build a luxury--
    a large luxury hotel across from the Kremlin in partnership
    with the Soviet Union. So at that time it was the Soviet Union.
        I want to ask you, in your filing with the Special Counsel
    Mueller's office, the prosecutors wrote, and I quote, ``Mr.
    Cohen discussed the status and progress of the Moscow project
    with Individual 1 on more than the three occasions Mr. Cohen
    claimed to the committee and he briefed family members of
    Individual 1 with the company about the project.''
        I know this is redundant, but, Mr. Cohen, who are we
    referring to here when we refer to Individual 1.
        Mr. Cohen. Donald J. Trump.
        Mr. Lynch. OK. And the company?
        Mr. Cohen. The Trump Organization through a subsidiary.
        Mr. Lynch. OK. And who were the family members that you
    briefed on the Trump Tower Moscow project?
        Mr. Cohen. Don Trump, Jr., and Ivanka Trump.
        Mr. Lynch. OK. Now, were these in the regular course of
    business or did the President or family request the briefings?
        Mr. Cohen. This is the regular course of business.
        Mr. Lynch. Do you recall -- there's a question on the
    number of briefings. Do you recall how many there might have
    been?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm sorry, sir?
        Mr. Lynch. Do you recall how many of these briefings there
    might have been?
        Mr. Cohen. Approximately 10.
        Mr. Lynch. OK.
        Mr. Cohen. In total.
        Mr. Lynch. All right. In your written remarks you also
    wrote, and I quote, ``There were at least a half dozen times
    between the Iowa Caucus in January 2016 and the end of June
    when Mr. Trump would ask me, 'How's it going in Russia,'
    referring to the Russia Moscow Tower project.''
        How did the President communicate those questions to you?
    Was it verbally or over the phone?
        Mr. Cohen. Verbally most of the time or virtually all of
    the time. He would say to me, ``Michael, come walk with me.''
    He was heading to let's say a rally or to a car, and as I would
    walk him to the elevator he would ask me questions quickly
    regarding a series of issues.
        Mr. Lynch. Could there be any doubt what he was referring
    to in terms of the project in Russia?
        Mr. Cohen. No, this would be it.
        Mr. Lynch. OK.
        Mr. Cohen. Otherwise there would have been no reason to ask
    it of me.
        Mr. Lynch. Right, right.
        You also wrote, and I quote, ``To be clear, Mr. Trump knew
    of and directed the Trump Moscow negotiations throughout the
    campaign and lied about it,'' close quote.
        How did the President actually direct the negotiations?
        Mr. Cohen. After each----
        Mr. Lynch. What details did he direct?
        Mr. Cohen. Well, after each communication that I had I
    would report back to him, and our goal was to get this project.
    We were interested in building what would have been the largest
    building in all of Europe.
        Sir, just if I can say one last thing in regard to----
        Mr. Lynch. Please go ahead.
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. the gentleman's statement and since
    this is on topic.
        The lies that I told to Congress, in fairness, benefited
    Mr. Trump. It was in furtherance of my protection of Mr. Trump,
    which I stated in my testimony. And I am not protecting Mr.
    Trump anymore.
        And so, while I truly appreciate taking some of your time
    onto it, to attack me every single time about taxes, I have no
    credibility, it is for exactly that reason that I spent the
    last week searching boxes in order to find the information that
    I did so that you don't have to take my word for it. I don't
    want you to. I want you to look at the documents, and I want
    you to make your own decision.
        Mr. Lynch. Mr. Cohen, I need my last----
        Mr. Cohen. Sorry, sir.
        Mr. Lynch. That's OK. Let me just say, I don't think my
    colleagues on the other side of the aisle are afraid that
    you're going to lie. I think they're afraid you're going to
    tell truth.
        Mr. Cohen. Thank you, sir.
        Mr. Lynch. I yield back the balance of my time.
        Chairman Cummings. Thank you very much.
        Mr. Gosar.
        Mr. Gosar. The gentleman from Ohio is recognized.
        Mr. Jordan. I appreciate the gentleman for yielding.
        I just want to respond to Mr. Lynch. I want you to think
    about this. When have you ever seen a Federal agency where this
    has happened? James Comey, Director, fired. Andy McCabe, Deputy
    Director, fired, lied three times under oath, under
    investigation right as we speak. Jim Baker, FBI Counsel,
    demoted, then left, currently under investigation by the U.S.
    Attorney's Office in Connecticut. Lisa Page, demoted, then
    left. Peter Strzok, deputy head of counterintelligence,
    demoted, then fired.That's what happened. That's what we're
    concerned about. And today, we actually asked for Rod
    Rosenstein, oh, by the way, we now know--three people have told
    us, Rod Rosenstein actually was contemplating using the 25th
    Amendment to remove the guy from Presidency who the American
    people put there. And we asked for him to be a witness today
    and the chairman said no. And instead, we get 30 minutes from a
    guy who is going to prison, going to prison, in two months for
    lying to Congress.
        Mr. Cohen, I got two quick questions before I yield back to
    my colleague. Mr. Hice asked you who all you talked to. You
    said you've talked to--you spoke to Mr. Schiff. Obviously, you
    spoke to Mr. Cummings. You've gone in front of both committees.
    You're here today. You're going to be in front of Mr. Schiff's
    committee tomorrow. Have you spoken to Chairman Nadler or
    anyone on his staff, or have any of your attorneys spoken to
    Chairman Nadler?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't know about my attorneys. I have not
    spoken to----
        Mr. Jordan. You don't know if your attorney spoke----
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. Congressman--I have not spoken to
    Congressman Nadler.
        Mr. Jordan. Do you think your----
        Mr. Cohen. And I'm not aware -- sir, I'm not aware if my
    attorneys -- I can ask them.
        Mr. Jordan. Can you turn around and ask?
        Voice. No.
        Mr. Cohen. The answer, sir, is no.
        Mr. Jordan. OK. And you said, at this present time, Mr.
    Davis is not getting paid. Does that--are you anticipating him
    receiving some kind of compensation in the future?
        Mr. Cohen. When I start to earn a living?
        Mr. Jordan. Are you going to wait three years? Wow.
        Mr. Cohen. The answer is yes.
        Mr. Jordan. That's a first. I've never known a lawyer wait
    3 years to get paid.
        Mr. Cohen. I guess he thinks it's important.
        Mr. Jordan. All right. With that, I yield to the gentleman
    from Arizona.
        Mr. Gosar. Well, thank you.
        Mr. Cohen, you're a disgraced lawyer. I mean, you've been
    disbarred. And so, I'm sure you remember -- well, maybe you
    don't remember -- duty of loyalty, duty of confidentiality,
    attorney/client privilege. I think the gentleman over your
    right side actually understands that very, very well and
    wouldn't do what you are doing here today.
        So let's go back at this credibility. You want us to make
    sure that we think of you as a real philanthropic icon, that
    you're about justice, that you're the person that somebody
    would call at 3 in the morning. No, they wouldn't. Not at all.
    You saw Mr. Comer dissect you. Right in front of this
    committee, you conflicted your testimony, sir. You're a
    pathological liar. You don't know truth from falsehood.
        Mr. Cohen. Sir, are you referring to me or the President?
        Mr. Gosar. Hey, hey, this is my time.
        Mr. Cohen. Are you referring to me, sir, or the President?
        Mr. Gosar. When I ask you a question, I'll ask for an
    answer.
        Mr. Cohen. Sure.
        Mr. Gosar. Now, are you familiar with Rule 35 of the
    Federal Rules in Criminal Procedures?
        Mr. Cohen. I am now.
        Mr. Gosar. Oh. So the committee understands that you've
    been in contact with the Southern District of New York. Is that
    true?
        Mr. Cohen. I am in constant contact with the Southern
    District of New York regarding ongoing investigations.
        Mr. Gosar. And part of that application is to reduce
    sentencing time, is it not? Yes.
        Mr. Cohen. There is a possibility----
        Mr. Gosar. Yes. The answer is yes.
        Mr. Cohen. No, it's not, sir.
        Mr. Gosar. Yes, it is.
        Mr. Cohen. OK.
        Mr. Gosar. It is.
        Mr. Cohen. It's not.
        Mr. Gosar. And so testimony here could actually help you
    out in getting your sentence lessened, isn't that true?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm not really sure how my appearance here today
    is providing substantial information that the Southern District
    can use for the creation of a case. Now, if there is something
    that this group can do for me, I would gladly welcome it.
        Mr. Gosar. Well, I got to tell you, you know, America's
    watching you. I've been getting texts right and left, saying,
    How can anybody listen to this pathological person? He's got a
    problem. He doesn't know fact from fiction. And that's what's
    sad here, is that, you didn't do this for Donald Trump, to
    protect Donald Trump. You did it for you. This is -- no, this
    is all about you. This is all about this Twitter feed----
        Mr. Cohen. Sure.
        Mr. Gosar [continuing]. and -- no, let me read one of those
    -- another one. Women who love and support Michael Cohen,
    strong, pit bull, sex symbol, no nonsense, business-oriented
    and ready to make a difference----
        Mr. Cohen. 1,000 followers.
        Mr. Gosar [continuing]. ready to make a difference against
    the law. That's pretty sad. You know, over and over again, you
    know, we wanted to have trust. It's built on the premise that
    we're truthful, that we come forward. But there's no truth with
    you whatsoever. That's why I -- that's important to you, to
    look up here and look at the old adage that our moms taught us
    -- liar, liar, pants on fire.
        No one should ever listen to you and give you credibility.
    It's sad. It's sad that we have come -- and in fact, I want to
    quote the chairman's very words. This is a real -- hold on----
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time is expired.
        Mr. Gosar [continuing]. sad state.
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time is expired. Who's
    next? Mr. Cooper.
        Mr. Cooper. Mr. Cohen, several times in your testimony, you
    state the bad things that you did for Mr. Trump, and at some
    point, you apparently changed your course of action. There's a
    recurring refrain in your testimony that says, and yet, I
    continued to work for him. But at some point, you changed. What
    was the breaking point at which you decided to start telling
    the truth?
        Mr. Cohen. There's several factors. Helsinki,
    Charlottesville, watching the daily destruction of our civility
    to one another. Putting up silly things like this, really
    unbecoming of Congress. It's that sort of behavior that I'm
    responsible for. I'm responsible for your silliness, because I
    did the same thing that you're doing now, for 10 years. I
    protected Mr. Trump for 10 years, and the fact that you pull up
    a news article that has no value to it, and you want to use
    that as the premise for discrediting me, that I'm not the
    person that people called at 3 in the morning, would make you
    inaccurate. In actuality, it would make you a liar, which puts
    you into the same position that I am in.
        And I can only warn people, the more people that follow Mr.
    Trump, as I did blindly, are going to suffer the same
    consequences that I'm suffering.
        Mr. Cooper. What warning would you give young people who
    are tempted, as you were, would you encourage them not to wait
    10 years to see the light? What advice would you give young
    people, in particular, young lawyers, so they do not abuse
    their bar license as you did?
        Mr. Cohen. Look at what's happened to me. I had a wonderful
    life. I have a beautiful wife. I have two amazing children. And
    I achieved financial success by the age of 39. I didn't go to
    work for Mr. Trump because I had to. I went to work for him
    because I wanted to. And I've lost it all.
        So if I'm not picture perfect--that's the picture that
    should be up there. If I'm not a picture-perfect example of
    what not to do, that's the example that I'm trying to set for
    my children. We make mistakes in life, and I've owned them, and
    I've taken responsibility for them. And I'm paying a huge
    price, as is my family. So if that, in and of itself, isn't
    enough to dissuade somebody from acting in the callous manner
    that I did, I'm not sure that that person has any--any chance,
    very much like I'm in right now.
        Mr. Cooper. A recurring theme in your testimony is concern
    for your family's safety. What specifically are you most
    concerned about?
        Mr. Cohen. Well, the President, unlike my ``Cohen for
    Trump'' that has a thousand followers, he's got over 60 million
    people. And when Mr. Trump turned around early in the campaign
    and said, I can shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and get away
    with it -- I want to be very clear -- he's not joking. He's
    telling you the truth. You don't know him. I do. I sat next to
    this man for 10 years, and I watched his back. I'm the one who
    started the campaign. And I'm the one who continued in 2015 to
    promote him.
        So many things I thought that he can do that are just
    great, and he can and he is doing things that are great. But
    this destruction of our civility to one another is -- it's out
    of control. And when he goes on Twitter, and he starts bringing
    in my in-laws, my parents, my wife, what does he think is going
    to happen? He's causing--he's sending out the same message that
    he can do whatever he wants. This is his country. He's becoming
    an autocrat. And hopefully, something bad will happen to me or
    my children or my wife, so that I will not be here and testify.
    That's what his hope was, it was to intimidate me. And, again,
    I thanked everybody who joined and said that this is just not
    right.
        Mr. Cooper. Have you ever seen Mr. Trump personally
    threaten people with physical harm?
        Mr. Cohen. No. He would use others.
        Mr. Cooper. He would hire other people to do that?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm not so sure that he had to hire them. They
    were already working there. Everybody's job at the Trump
    Organization is to protect Mr. Trump. Every day, most of us
    knew we were coming in and we were going to lie for him on
    something. And that became the norm. And that's exactly what's
    happening right now in this country. And it's exactly what's
    happening here in government, sir.
        Mr. Cooper. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My time is expired.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Armstrong?
        Mr. Armstrong. Thank you. Mr. Cohen----
        Mr. Cohen. Mr. Chairman, can we take a break?
        Chairman Cummings. Not right now.
        Mr. Cohen. OK.
        Mr. Armstrong. All right.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Cohen, did you ask for a break?
        Mr. Cohen. I did, sir.
        That's OK. Thank you, sir.
        Chairman Cummings. I thought a Member asked.
        Mr. Cohen. Thank you.
        Chairman Cummings. Ten minutes.
        Exactly 10 minutes we'll start back.
        [Recess.]
        Chairman Cummings. Ms. Foxx?
        Ms. Foxx. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Mr. Cohen, you've admitted to lying on your taxes.
    According to Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of
    New York, you also lied to banks to get loans. The prosecutors
    wrote, quote, ``To secure loans, Cohen falsely understated the
    amount of debt he was carrying and omitted information from his
    personal financial statements to induce a bank to lend based on
    incomplete information,'' end quote. Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. That's correct.
        Ms. Foxx. You lied on financial documents. So you lied to
    financial institutions in order to secure loans. So we've
    established that you lie on your taxes, you lie to banks, and
    you have been convicted of lying to Congress. It seems to me
    that there's not much that you won't lie about when you stand
    to gain from it.
        In fact, the prosecutor for the Southern District of New
    York noted that each of your crimes, quote, ``bear commonsense
    characteristics with each involving deception and being
    motivated by your personal greed and ambition.'' Is your
    appearance here today motivated by your desire to remain in the
    spotlight for your personal benefit?
        Mr. Cohen. No, ma'am.
        Ms. Foxx. You have sought out ways to rehabilitate your
    image, from tax evader, bank swindler, and all-around liar, to
    an honorable truthful man by appearing before cable news. I'm
    concerned you could be using your story and this congressional
    platform for your personal benefit, such is a desire to make
    money from book deals. So can you commit, under oath, that you
    have not and will not pursue a book or movie deal based on your
    experiences working for the President?
        Mr. Cohen. No.
        Ms. Foxx. You cannot commit to making money off of a book
    or movie deal based on your work?
        Mr. Cohen. No. What I just--there's two parts to your
    question. The first part of your question, you asked me whether
    or not I had spoken to people regarding a possible book deal,
    and I have. And I've spoken to people who've sought me out
    regarding a movie deal.
        Ms. Foxx. No, I didn't ask you if you'd spoken to anybody.
        Mr. Cohen. That was the first part of your question.
        Ms. Foxx. I said, can you commit under oath that you will
    not--that you have not and will not pursue a book deal.
        Mr. Cohen. And I would not do that, no.
        Ms. Foxx. OK. Can you commit under oath that you will not
    pursue opportunities to provide commentary for a major news
    network based on your experiences working for the President?
        Mr. Cohen. No.
        Ms. Foxx. Can you commit under oath that you will not
    pursue political office in the State of New York?
        Mr. Cohen. No.
        Ms. Foxx. So you don't commit to changing your ways,
    basically, because you want to continue to use your background
    as a liar, a cheater, a convicted liar, to make money? That's
    what you want to do?
        Mr. Cohen. And that's going to get me a book deal and a
    movie deal and television--and a spot on television? I don't
    think so.
        Ms. Foxx. Well, it appears that it will. I yield my
    remainder of my time, Mr. Chairman, to Mr. Jordan.
        Mr. Jordan. I thank the gentlelady for yielding.
        Mr. Cohen, in your sentencing statement to the court in
    December of last year, you said, I want to apologize to the
    people of the United States; you deserve to know the truth.
    Approximately a month later, BuzzFeed News ran a story that was
    the story in the country for a couple of days. BuzzFeed story
    ran January 17, 2019. On January 18, your counsel went on TV
    and wouldn't confirm or deny the story.
        The next day, the special counsel's office did something
    that's never happened. Never happened. They said the
    description of specific statements to the special counsel's
    office and the characterization of documents and testimony
    obtained by this office regarding Michael Cohen's congressional
    testimony are not accurate.
        Why didn't your lawyer the day that he's on TV, when this
    story is the biggest things in the news, in the country, why
    didn't he deny the BuzzFeed story?
        Mr. Cohen. Because I didn't think it was his responsibility
    to do that. We are not the fact-checkers for BuzzFeed----
        Mr. Jordan. He's on TV to talk about the very story you
    committed to the court when you were trying to get your
    sentence reduced that you--that the American people deserve to
    know the truth, you had the golden opportunity to give them the
    truth on a false story, the BuzzFeed story, and your lawyer
    didn't say a thing. Actually, he said this: I can't confirm, I
    can't deny. You had an opportunity to do exactly what you told
    the judge you were going to do one month after you said it, and
    you didn't do it. Why not?
        Mr. Cohen. Again, it wasn't our responsibility to be the
    fact-checker for the news agency----
        Mr. Jordan. This is the biggest story in the country.
        Mr. Cohen. Sir, please, let me--the President says, so far,
    approximately 9,000--you asked----
        Mr. Jordan. Let me just say one thing. I got eight seconds.
    I got eight seconds. I'll let you finish.
        Mr. Cohen. Chairman, may I please finish?
        Mr. Jordan. The special counsel said----
        Mr. Cohen. Chairman, can I please finish?
        Mr. Jordan [continuing]. something they've never done----
        Mr. Cohen. Sir?
        Mr. Jordan [continuing]. they said that story was false.
    Now you can respond.
        Mr. Cohen. OK. My response----
        Chairman Cummings. You may respond.
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. the President has told something
    over 9,000 lies to date. Do I ask Mr. Davis or Mr. Monaco, do I
    go on television in order to correct his mistakes?
        Mr. Jordan. When----
        Mr. Cohen. The answer is no.
        Mr. Jordan [continuing]. talking about that specific
    subject, you should.
        Mr. Cohen. The answer is no. And I would like----
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time has--listen up. The
    gentleman's time has expired.
        You may finish answering the question, and then we are
    going to go to Mr. Connolly.
        Mr. Cohen. All I wanted to say is, I just find it
    interesting, sir, that between yourself and your colleagues,
    that not one question so far since I'm here, has been asked
    about President Trump. That's actually why I thought I was
    coming today, not to confess the mistakes that I've made. I've
    already done that. And I'll do it again every time you ask me
    about taxes or mistakes. Yes, I made my mistakes, I'll say it
    now again, and I'm going to pay the ultimate price.
        But I'm not here today--and the American people don't care
    about my taxes. They want to know what it is that I know about
    Mr. Trump, and not one question so far has been asked about Mr.
    Trump.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Connolly?
        Mr. Connolly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Well, Mr. Cohen, based on your testimony and your 10-year
    experience, I think you can recognize the behavior you're being
    subjected to on the other side of the aisle. Discredit,
    slander, use any trick in the book to prevent your testimony
    from sticking. The idea that a witness would come to us who's
    flawed--and you certainly are flawed--means they can never tell
    the truth, and there is no validity whatsoever to a single word
    they say, would discredit every single criminal trial of
    organized crime in the history of the United States, because
    all of them depend on someone who's turned. It would make RICO
    null and void. We couldn't use it anymore.
        This Congress, historically, has relied on all kinds of
    shady figures, who turned. One of the most famous who led to
    the decapitation of organized crime families in America, Joe
    Valachi, congressional hearing, he was a witness, and he
    committed a lot worse crimes than you're convicted of, Mr.
    Cohen.
        So don't be fooled by what my friends on the other side of
    the aisle are trying to do today. It is do everything but focus
    on the principle known as ``Individual No. 1'' in the Southern
    District of New York, as I recall. Is that correct, Mr. Cohen?
        Mr. Cohen. That is correct.
        Mr. Connolly. Now, Mr. Cohen, I want to ask you about
    something that is not in your testimony and that so far has not
    been made public. In our committee staff search of documents
    provided by the White House that were otherwise redacted or
    already in the public--and I guess the White House thought that
    was funny--they made one mistake, the White House.
        There was an email from a Special Assistant to the
    President, to a deputy White House counsel, and the e-mail is
    dated May 16th, 2017, and it says, and I quote, ``POTUS,''
    meaning the President, ``requested a meeting on Thursday with
    Michael Cohen and Jay Sekulow. Any idea what this might be
    about?'' End quote.
        Do you recall being asked to come to the White House on or
    around that time? With Mr. Sekulow? May 2017?
        Mr. Cohen. Off the top of my head, sir, I don't. I recall
    being in the White House with Jay Sekulow, and it was in regard
    to the--the documents--the document production, as well as my
    appearance before the House Select Intel, but I'm not sure if
    that specifically----
        Mr. Connolly. Well, that----
        Mr. Cohen. But what I will to do, is, I will check all my
    records, and I'm more than happy to provide you with any
    documentation or a response to this question.
        Mr. Connolly. Well, you sort of touch on, presumably, the
    purpose of the discussion, at least among others. This
    occurred, this meeting occurred just before your testimony
    before the Select Committee on Intelligence here in the House.
    Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. I believe so, yes.
        Mr. Connolly. Was that a topic of conversation with the
    President himself?
        Mr. Cohen. If this is the specific instance that I was
    there with Mr. Sekulow, yes.
        Mr. Connolly. So you had a conversation with the President
    of the United States about your impending testimony before the
    House Intelligence Committee. Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. That's correct.
        Mr. Connolly. What was the nature of that conversation?
        Mr. Cohen. He wanted me to cooperate. He also wanted just
    to ensure I'm making the statement -- and I said it in my
    testimony -- there is no Russia, there is no collusion, there
    is no -- there is no deal. He goes, it's all a witch hunt, and
    it's -- he goes, this stuff has to end.
        Mr. Connolly. Did you take those comments to be suggestive
    of what might flavor your testimony?
        Mr. Cohen. Sir, he's been saying that to me for many, many
    months. And at the end of the day, I knew exactly what he
    wanted me to say.
        Mr. Connolly. And why was Mr. Sekulow in the meeting?
        Mr. Cohen. Because he was going to be representing Mr.
    Trump going forward, as one of his personal attorneys in this
    matter.
        Mr. Connolly. So it was sort of a handoff meeting?
        Mr. Cohen. Correct.
        Mr. Connolly. In any way -- final question -- did the
    President, in any way, from your point of view, coach you in
    terms of how to respond to questions or the content of your
    testimony before a House committee?
        Mr. Cohen. Again, it's difficult to answer, because he
    doesn't tell you what he wants. What he does is, again,
    Michael, there's no Russia, there's no collusion, there's no
    involvement, there's no interference. I know what he means,
    because I've been around him for so long. So if you're asking
    me whether or not that's the message, that's staying on point,
    that's the party line that he created, that so many others are
    now touting, yes, that's the message that he wanted to
    reinforce.
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time is expired.
        Mr. Connolly. Thank you.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Massie?
        Mr. Massie. Mr. Cohen, can you just clarify, did you say
    that at times you would do what you thought Mr. Trump wanted
    you to do, not specifically what he told you to do?
        Mr. Cohen. At times, yes.
        Mr. Massie. So you just went on your intuition?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't know if I would call it intuition, as
    much as I would just say, my knowledge of what he wanted,
    because it happened before, and I knew what he had wanted.
        Mr. Massie. Does a lawyer have a duty to provide his client
    with good legal advice?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Massie. Were you a good lawyer to Mr. Trump?
        Mr. Cohen. I believe so.
        Mr. Massie. When you arranged a payment to Ms. Clifford,
    you say in your testimony--I'm going to quote from your
    testimony--that you did so, quote, ``without bothering to
    consider whether that was improper, much less whether it was
    the right thing to do.'' You said that--unquote. That's your
    testimony today. You said you didn't even consider whether it
    was legal. How could you give your client legal advice when
    you're not even considering whether it's legal?
        Mr. Cohen. I did what I knew Mr. Trump wanted. This
    conversation with Mr. Trump----
        Mr. Massie. I didn't ask----
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. started----
        Mr. Massie. I didn't ask whether you were a good fixer. I
    asked whether you were a good lawyer.
        Mr. Cohen. Well, sometimes you have to meld both together.
    I needed to, at that time, ensure and protect Mr. Trump and----
        Mr. Massie. So----
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. if I put my--which I'm clearly,
    clearly suffering the penalty of--I clearly----
        Mr. Massie. You said--let me--you said----
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. erred on the--on the side of wrong.
        Mr. Massie. So you feel like, by--without bothering whether
    to consider whether it was proper, much less whether it was the
    right thing to do, by ignoring any conscience, if you have one,
    that you were protecting Mr. Trump?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm sorry, sir. I don't understand your
    question.
        Mr. Massie. You feel that was how to protect -- as his
    lawyer, you feel that you did a good job. You said you were a
    good lawyer, right?
        Mr. Cohen. That's correct.
        Mr. Massie. Is that being a good lawyer? To not even
    consider whether it's legal or not?
        Mr. Cohen. I didn't work for the campaign. I was working,
    and I was trying to protect Mr. Trump.
        Mr. Massie. I didn't say anything about the campaign. I
    didn't ask you about----
        Mr. Cohen. I sat with Mr. Trump -- and this goes back all
    the way to 2011. This wasn't the first scenario with Ms.
    Daniels.
        Mr. Massie. Let's go back then.
        Mr. Cohen. So, what my point--my point is, this is -- this
    was an ongoing situation. It didn't just start in----
        Mr. Massie. Right. Let's -- I want to yield back.
        Mr. Cohen. But you have to let me finish.
        Mr. Massie. Well----
        Mr. Cohen. It started in Oc- -- it didn't start in October.
        Mr. Massie. Let me -- let me ask you specifically on that.
        Mr. Cohen. It started many years earlier.
        Mr. Massie. When were you disbarred?
        Mr. Cohen. Yesterday, from what I read in the paper.
        Mr. Massie. Yesterday. When should you have been disbarred,
    based on the legal counsel you were giving your client?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't have an answer for your question.
        Mr. Massie. How long were you counsel for Mr. Trump?
        Mr. Cohen. Since 2007.
        Mr. Massie. When is the first time you gave him bad legal
    advice, or failed to inform him of his legal obligation, as you
    testified today, you did in the case of the payment to Ms.
    Clifford? When was the first time you did that? Would that
    qualify for disbarment?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't know, sir. I'm not the Bar Association.
        Mr. Massie. I think you should consult with them maybe
    occasionally on some of these things. Has anybody----
        Mr. Cohen. Well, there's no point now. I lost my law
    license.
        Mr. Massie. Has anybody -- has anybody else promised to pay
    Mr. Davis for representing you?
        Mr. Cohen. No.
        Mr. Massie. Nobody has?
        Mr. Cohen. No. Are you offering?
        Mr. Massie. Question, quickly. You said -- and this is also
    in your testimony--in the days before the Democratic
    Convention, you became privy to a conversation that some of
    Hillary Clinton's emails would be leaked. Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. Correct.
        Mr. Massie. OK. Was that in -- you said late July. Do you
    know the exact day?
        Mr. Cohen. I believe it was either the 18th or the 19th,
    and I would guess that it would be on the 19th.
        Mr. Massie. But it was definitely July?
        Mr. Cohen. I believe so, yes.
        Mr. Massie. Do you know that was public knowledge in June?
    This was -- Mr. Assange -- and I'd like to submit this --
    unanimous consent to submit this for the record.
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection, so ordered.

        [The Assange article referenced above is available at:
    https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jun/12/wikileaks-to-
    publish-more-hillary-clinton-emails-julian-assange.]

        Mr. Massie. Mr. Assange reported to the media on June 12th
    that those emails would be leaked. So I'm not saying you have
    fake news. I'm saying you have old news, and there's really not
    much to that.
        I would like to yield the remainder of my time to Mr.
    Higgins.
        Mr. Higgins. Thank you, sir.
        Mr. Cohen, you know, I'm quoting you close, again earlier
    you said, I spent last week looking through boxes to find
    documents that would support your accusations. Where are those
    boxes, good sir?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm sorry?
        Mr. Higgins. Where are those boxes? Are they in your
    garage?
        Mr. Cohen. They're in storage.
        Mr. Higgins. And are these not boxes that should have been
    turned over to investigative authorities, during the many
    criminal investigations you've been subject to?
        Mr. Cohen. Sir, these are the boxes that were returned to
    me post the raids.
        Mr. Higgins. If they -- if they include data pertinent to
    crimes that you've committed, should they not have been turned
    over, remanded to investigative authority? Did Mr. Lanny Davis
    know of these boxes?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't understand your question.
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time is expired.
        You may answer the question.
        Mr. Cohen. I don't understand his question, sir.
        Chairman Cummings. Very well.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi?
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. Mr. Cohen, good morning. Thank you,
    Chairman Cummings, for convening this hearing, and thank you,
    Mr. Cohen, for voluntarily testifying this morning.
        Mr. Cohen, you were the executive vice president and
    special counsel for the Trump Organization, correct?
        Mr. Cohen. I was the executive vice president special
    counsel to Donald J. Trump.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. And ``special counsel'' means you are
    the attorney for him. Is that right?
        Mr. Cohen. It just means I was there in order to handle
    matters that he felt were significant and important to him
    individually.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. And those included legal matters?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, sir.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. Sir, as a former attorney, you're
    familiar with legal documents known as nondisclosure
    agreements, or NDAs. Is that right?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. So I'm sure you know that NDAs,
    properly written in scope, can be reasonable in certain
    business contexts, but they can also be abused to create a
    chilling effect to silence people, as we've seen in the Me Too
    movement and other places. Isn't that right, Mr. Cohen?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. And Mr. Cohen, the Trump Organization
    used NDAs extensively. Isn't that right?
        Mr. Cohen. That's correct.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. Mr. Cohen, I'm reading from a recent
    Washington Post article regarding the language in one of these
    types of NDAs where the terms were described as very broad. For
    instance, the terms ``confidential information'' was defined to
    be anything that, quote, ``Mr. Trump insists remain private or
    confidential, including, but not limited to, any information
    with respect to the personal life, political affairs, and/or
    business affairs of Mr. Trump or any family member,'' closed
    quote. Do those terms sound familiar to you?
        Mr. Cohen. I've seen that document.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. In fact, there is a class-action
    lawsuit filed this month by former Trump campaign worker
    Jessica Denson that this NDA language is illegal, because it is
    too broad, too vague, and would be used to retaliate against
    employees who complain of illegality or wrongdoing.
        Would you agree that in the use of the NDA -- of these
    types of NDAs with this type of language, and later, when
    Donald Trump sought to enforce them, that he intended to
    prevent people from coming forward with claims of wrongdoing?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. Would you agree that the effect of the
    use of these NDAs and their enforcement was to have a chilling
    effect on people or silence them from coming forward?
        Mr. Cohen. I apologize, if you want to define ``chilling,''
    I'm not sure----
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. Oh, just that he would -- in using
    these NDAs, or trying to enforce them, would basically try to
    keep people silent?
        Mr. Cohen. That was the goal.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. And nothing at the Trump Organization
    was ever done unless it was run through President Donald Trump,
    correct?
        Mr. Cohen. That's 100 percent certain.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. OK. Mr. Cohen, do you believe that
    there are people out there today, either from the President's
    business or personal life, who are not coming forward to tell
    their stories of wrongdoing because of the President's use of
    NDAs against them?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm sorry, sir. I don't know the answer to that
    question.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. OK. Sir, I have a couple other
    questions for you. When was the last communication with
    President Trump or someone acting on his behalf?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't have the specific date, but it was a
    while ago.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. OK. Do you have a general timeframe?
        Mr. Cohen. I would suspect it was within two months post
    the raid of my -- my home, hotel.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. OK. So early fall of last year?
    Generally?
        Mr. Cohen. Generally.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. And what did he or his agent
    communicate to you?
        Mr. Cohen. Unfortunately, this topic is actually something
    that's being investigated right now by the Southern District of
    New York, and I've been asked by them not to discuss, and not
    to talk about these issues.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. Fair enough. Is there any other
    wrongdoing or illegal act that you are aware of regarding
    Donald Trump that we haven't yet discussed today?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes. And, again, those are part of the
    investigation that's currently being looked at by the Southern
    District of New York.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. Sir, Congressman Cooper asked you about
    whether you were aware of any physical violence committed by
    President Trump. I just have a couple quick questions. Do you
    have any knowledge of President Trump abusing any controlled
    substances?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm not aware of that, no.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. Do you have any knowledge of President
    Trump being delinquent on any alimony or child-care payments?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm not aware of any of that.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. Do you have any knowledge of President
    Trump arranging any healthcare procedures for any women not in
    his family?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm not aware of that, no.
        Mr. Krishnamoorthi. Thank you. I yield back.
        Mr. Cohen. Thank you.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Cloud?
        Mr. Cloud. Thank you, Chairman.
        Mr. Cohen, can you tell me the significance of May 6th?
        Mr. Cohen. In terms of, sir?
        Mr. Cloud. Couple months from now.
        Mr. Cohen. That's the day that I need to surrender----
        Mr. Cloud. Yes, sir, it is.
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. to Federal prison.
        Mr. Cloud. Could you, for the record, state what you've
    been convicted of.
        Mr. Cohen. I've been convicted on five counts of tax
    evasion. There's one count of misrepresentation of documents to
    a bank. There's two counts--one dealing with campaign finance
    for Karen McDougal; one count of campaign finance violation for
    Stormy Daniels, as well as lying to Congress.
        Mr. Cloud. Thank you. Can you state what your official
    title with the campaign was?
        Mr. Cohen. I did not have a campaign title.
        Mr. Cloud. And your position in the Trump administration?
        Mr. Cohen. I did not have one.
        Mr. Cloud. OK. In today's testimony, you said that you were
    not looking to work in the White House. The Southern District
    of New York, in their statement, their sentencing memo, says
    this: ``Cohen's criminal violations in the Federal election
    laws were also stirred, like other crimes, by his own ambition
    and greed. Cohen privately told friends, colleagues, and
    including seized text messages, that he expected to be given a
    prominent role in the new administration. When that did not
    materialize, Cohen found a way to monetize his relationship and
    access with the President.'' So were they lying, or were you
    lying today?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm not saying it's a lie. I'm just saying it's
    not accurate. I did not want to go to the White House. I
    retained--and I brought an attorney and I sat with Mr. Trump,
    with him, for well over an hour explaining the importance of
    having a personal attorney. And every President has had one, in
    order to handle matters like the matters I was dealing with,
    which included, like Summer Zervos----
        Mr. Cloud. I reclaim my time.
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. Stormy Daniels, dealing with
    Stephanie Clifford----
        Mr. Cloud. I ask unanimous consent to----
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. and other personal matters that
    needed----
        Mr. Cloud. Excuse me. This is my time. Thank you.
        I ask unanimous consent to submit to this memo from the
    Southern District of New York, New York for the record.
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection, so ordered.
        [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Mr. Cloud. All right. I'll give that to you in a second.
        OK. This memo states that you committed four distinct
    Federal crimes over a period of several years. You were
    motivated to do so by personal greed and repeatedly used your
    power to influence for deceptive ends. It goes on to say that
    you were--that they each involved -- they were distinct in
    their harms, but bear a common set of characteristics, that
    they involved deception and were each motivated by personal
    greed and ambition.
        There's a lot we don't know in regards to this
    investigation, but here's what we do know: We know that you
    were expecting a job at the White House and didn't get it; you
    made millions lying about your close access to the President;
    you have a history of lying for personal gain, including--
    that's banks, about your accountant, to law enforcement, and
    your family, the Congress, the American people.
        The Southern District of New York -- you said that you did
    all this out of blind loyalty to Mr. Trump, but your sentencing
    memo states this: ``This was not an act out of blind loyalty,
    as Cohen suggests. Cohen was driven by a desire to further
    ingratiate himself with the potential future President for whom
    political success Cohen himself claimed credit for.''
        Now, we're in a search for truth, and I don't know,
    Chairman, how we're supposed to ascertain the truth in this
    quagmire of a hearing when the best witness we can bring before
    us has already been convicted of lying before us.
        And what's sad is the American people have seen this play
    out before. We have people in prominent positions fail, and
    then a couple years later, they get a book deal. Now you're set
    to go to jail for a couple years and come out with a
    multimillion book deal. That's not bad living.
        And so my question is, is, will you today--will you today
    to--commit to donate any further proceeds to book deals, to
    film reviews, to charity?
        Mr. Cohen. No.
        Mr. Cloud. Thank you. I yield my time.
        Mr. Meadows. Will the gentleman yield? Will the gentleman
    yield?
        Mr. Cohen. May I -- may I finish?
        Mr. Meadows. Will the gentleman yield?
        Mr. Cloud. Yield to Mr. Meadows.
        Mr. Cohen. Mr. Chairman, may I finish my----
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Cohen----
        Mr. Cohen. May I finish----
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Cohen, he's yielded to me, and so----
        Mr. Cohen. I didn't finish my -- my response.
        Mr. Meadows. Listen, everything's been made----
        Mr. Cohen. I'm asking, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, may I
    finish my response, please?
        Chairman Cummings. I'll let you respond, but answer his
    question, please.
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Cohen, everything's been made of your lies
    in the past. I'm concerned about your lies today. Under your
    testimony just a few minutes ago, to me, you indicated that you
    had contracts with foreign entities, and yet, we have a truth
    in testimony disclosure form, which requires you to list those
    foreign contracts for the last two years, and you put NA on
    there. And it's a criminal offense to not have that accurately.
    So when were you lying, either in the testimony to me earlier
    today, or when you filled out the form?
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time has expired.
        Mr. Cohen, you may answer his question and then whatever
    you wanted to say on that other one.
        Mr. Cohen. His question, unfortunately, I don't have an
    answer for his question. But as it----
        Mr. Meadows. No, no, no, no, no. Mr. Chairman?
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. as it relates----
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman is out of order. He said
    he does not have an answer.
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Chairman, when we were in the majority,
    with all due respect, Mr. Chairman, hold on.
        Chairman Cummings. Regular order. The gentleman has just
    said he doesn't have an answer. And you have gone over your
    time.
        Ms. Foxx. Well, he's under oath.
        Mr. Meadows. He's under oath to tell the truth. One of them
    is not accurate, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cummings. You will--you will have time to ask the
    question.
        Mr. Jordan. Mr. Chairman, just a question. Mr. Chairman,
    just a question.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Raskin? Mr. Raskin.
        Mr. Raskin. Mr. Cohen, thank you for your composure today.
    Our colleagues are not upset because you lied to Congress for
    the President; they're upset because you stopped lying to
    Congress for the President.
        Now, you've described the Trump campaign as a once-in-a-
    lifetime, money-making opportunity, the greatest informercial
    of all time, I think you said. And this may be the most
    trenchant observation of your whole testimony. Do you think the
    Trump campaign or Presidency ever stopped being about making
    money for the President, his family, and his organization?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Raskin. When did it stop being that?
        Mr. Cohen. When he won the election.
        Mr. Raskin. And what did it become about at that point?
        Mr. Cohen. Then it had to be about figuring out what to do
    here in Washington.
        Mr. Raskin. Can you carefully explain to America how the
    hush-money payments to Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels
    worked? Can you carefully explain what catch-and-kill is?
        Mr. Cohen. Sure. I received a phone call regarding both
    Karen McDougal, as well as Stormy Daniels, obviously different
    times, stating that there were issues that were going to be
    damaging to Mr. Trump. With the Stormy Daniels, it started in
    2011, when she wanted to have something removed from a website,
    and that was the first time I met Keith--I spoke with Keith
    Davidson, her then-acting attorney, and we were successful in
    having it taken down from the website.
        It wasn't until years later did -- right -- by around the
    time of the campaign, did they come back and they ask, what --
    what are you going to do now, because she's back on the trail,
    trying to sell the story, at which point in time, David Pecker,
    on behalf of the National Enquirer, reached out to her and her
    attorney, in order to go take a look at lie detector tests that
    would prove that she is telling the truth. They then contacted
    me and told me that she was telling the truth. At which point,
    again, all the time----
        Mr. Raskin. She took a lie detector test?
        Mr. Cohen. She allegedly took a lie detector test and was
    seen by an employee of the National Enquirer, at which point in
    time I went straight into Mr. Trump's office and I explained
    why this time it's different than another time.
        Mr. Raskin. Okay. Now, when you say ``different than
    another time,'' were there other women paid sexual hush-money
    by Donald Trump or his organization? Was this a standard
    operating practice?
        Mr. Cohen. No.
        Mr. Raskin. So you're not aware of any other cases where it
    had taken place?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm not aware of any other case that Mr. Trump
    paid. So which brings us to the Karen McDougal. He was supposed
    to pay. He was supposed to pay $125,000 for the life story of
    Karen McDougal. For whatever the reason may be, he elected not
    to pay it. David Pecker was very angry because there was also
    other moneys that David had expended on his behalf.
    Unfortunately, David never got paid back for that either.
        Mr. Raskin. So David Pecker had done this in other cases of
    other mistresses or women?
        Mr. Cohen. Other circumstances, yes.
        Mr. Raskin. Okay.
        Mr. Cohen. Not all of them had to do with women.
        Mr. Raskin. Are you aware of anything that the President
    has done, at home or abroad, that may have subjected him to, or
    may subject him to extortion or blackmail?
        Mr. Cohen. I am not, no.
        Mr. Raskin. Okay. Are you aware of any videotapes that may
    be the subject of extortion or blackmail?
        Mr. Cohen. I've heard about these tapes for a long time,
    had many people contact me over the years. I have no reason to
    believe that that tape exists.
        Mr. Raskin. In December 2015, Donald Trump was asked about
    his relationship with Felix Sater, a convicted felon and real
    estate developer, and he replied, Felix Sater, boy, have to
    even think about it, I'm not that familiar with him. Why did
    Trump endeavor to hide his relationship with Felix Sater, and
    what was his relationship?
        Mr. Cohen. Well, he certainly had a relationship. Felix was
    a partner in a company called Bayrock that was involved in the
    deal of the Trump Soho Hotel, as well as, I believe, the Trump
    Ft. Lauderdale project. Why did he want to distance himself?
    That's what Mr. Trump does. He distances himself when things go
    bad for someone. And at that point in time, it was going bad
    for Mr. Sater.
        Mr. Raskin. You said you lied to Congress about Trump's
    negotiations to build his Moscow tower, because he made it
    clear to you that he wanted you to lie. One of the reasons you
    knew this is, because, quote, ``Mr. Trump's personal lawyers
    reviewed and edited my statement to Congress about the timing
    of the Moscow tower negotiations before I gave it.'' So this is
    a pretty breathtaking claim, and I just want to get to the
    facts here. Which specific lawyers reviewed and edited your
    statement to Congress on the Moscow tower negotiations, and did
    they make any changes to your statement?
        Mr. Cohen. There were changes made, additions. Jay Sekulow,
    for one----
        Mr. Raskin. Were there changes about the timing? The
    question----
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time has expired.
        You may answer that question.
        Mr. Cohen. There were--there were several changes that were
    made, including how we were going to handle that message. Which
    was----
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Groth -- were you finished?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes. The message, of course, being the length of
    time that the Trump Tower Moscow project stayed and remained
    alive.
        Mr. Raskin. That was one of the changes?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Grothman?
        Mr. Grothman. Yes, first of all, I'd like to clear up
    something, just a little something that bothers me. You started
    off your testimony, and you said, I think in response to some
    question, that President Trump never expected to win. I just
    want to clarify that I dealt with several--President Trump
    several times as he was trying to get Wisconsin. He was always
    confident. He was working very hard, and this idea that somehow
    he was just running to raise his profile for some future
    adventure, at least in my experience, is preposterous. I always
    find it offensive when anti-Trump people imply that he just did
    this on a lark and didn't expect to win.
        But be that as it may, my first question concerns your
    relationship with the court. Do you expect--I mean, right now,
    I think you're sentenced to 3 years, correct?
        Mr. Cohen. That's correct.
        Mr. Grothman. Do you expect any time, using this testimony,
    other testimony, after you get done doing whatever you're going
    to do this week, do you ever expect to go back and ask for any
    sort of reduction in sentence?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes. There are ongoing investigations currently
    being conducted that have nothing to do with this committee or
    Congress, that I am assisting in, and it is for the benefit of
    a Rule 35 motion, yes.
        Mr. Grothman. So you expect, and perhaps what you testify
    here today will affect going back and reducing this, what we
    think is a relatively light, three-year sentence? You expect to
    go back and ask for a further reduction?
        Mr. Cohen. Based off of my appearance here today?
        Mr. Grothman. Well, based upon whatever you do between now
    and your request for----
        Mr. Cohen. The Rule 35 motion is in the complete hands of
    the Southern District of New York. And the way the Rule 35
    motion works is, what you're supposed to do, is provide them
    with information that leads to ongoing investigations. I am
    currently working with them right now on several other issues
    of investigation that concerns them, that they're looking at.
    If those investigations become fruitful, then there is a
    possibility for a Rule 35 motion. And I don't know what the
    benefit in terms of time would be, but this congressional
    hearing today is not going to be the basis of a Rule 35 motion.
    I wish it was, but it's not.
        Mr. Grothman. I'd like to yield some time to Congressman
    Jordan.
        Mr. Jordan. I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina.
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Cohen, I'm going to come back to the
    question I asked before, with regards to your false statement
    that you submitted to Congress. On here, it was very clear,
    that it asked for contracts with foreign entities over the last
    two years. Have you had any foreign contract with foreign
    entities, whether it's Novartis or the Korean airline or
    Kazakhstan BTA Bank? Your testimony earlier said that you had
    contracts with them. In fact, you went into detail----
        Mr. Cohen. I believe it talks about lobbying. I did no
    lobbying. On top of that they are not government----
        Mr. Meadows. In your testimony -- I'm not asking about
    lobbying, Mr. Cohen.
        Mr. Cohen. They are not government agencies. They are
    privately and----
        Mr. Meadows. Do you have--do you have foreign contracts----
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. publicly traded companies.
        Mr. Meadows. Do you have foreign contracts?
        Mr. Cohen. I currently have no foreign contracts.
        Mr. Meadows. Did you have foreign contracts over the last
    two years?
        Mr. Cohen. Foreign contracts?
        Mr. Meadows. Contracts with foreign entities, did you have
    contracts?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Meadows. Yes?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Meadows. Why didn't you put them on the form? It says
    it's a criminal offense to not put them on this form for the
    last two years. Why did you not do that?
        Mr. Cohen. Because those foreign companies that you're
    referring to are not government companies.
        Mr. Meadows. It says nongovernmental, Mr. Cohen. You signed
    it.
        Mr. Cohen. They're talking about me as being
    nongovernmental.
        Mr. Meadows. And right. It says foreign agency--It says
    foreign contracts. Do you want us to read it to you?
        Mr. Cohen. I read it and it was reviewed by my counsel, and
    I am a nongovernment employee. It was not lobbying, and they
    are not foreign contracts.
        Mr. Meadows. It has nothing to do with lobbying. It says
    it's a criminal offense to not list all your foreign contracts.
    That's what it says.
        Mr. Cohen. Well, then, I'm going to take a look at it
    before I leave----
        Mr. Meadows. No, you've----
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. and I will -- and hopefully I will
    amend it prior to leaving, because that's not the way I read
    your document.
        Mr. Meadows. You know, it's just one more example, Mr.
    Cohen, of you skirting the truth.
        OK, I want to ask one other question.
        One other question, Mr. Cohen. It's my time, not yours.
        Were you advised, or was your counsel advised to withhold
    your written testimony to the latest possible date as John Dean
    said last night on CNN?
        Mr. Cohen. Was it my what?
        Mr. Meadows. Were you advised, or was your counsel advised,
    to withhold your written testimony to this committee, at the
    latest possible date to give it to this committee, at the
    latest possible date as John Dean said that he advised you? Yes
    or no?
        Mr. Cohen. No. We were----
        Mr. Meadows. He never advised you?
        Mr. Cohen. We -- John Dean? I've never spoken with John
    Dean.
        Mr. Meadows. Has he spoken to your attorney?
        Mr. Cohen. I--I don't know. I've never spoken to John Dean.
        Mr. Meadows. Well, ask your attorney. He's right there
    behind you.
        Mr. Cohen. We were working last night till -- till 11, 12
    at night, and it----
        Mr. Meadows. You've known that you've been coming for some
    time. I----
        Chairman Cummings. You may answer the question. Answer the
    question, if you recall.
        Mr. Cohen. We were working till 11, 12 last night to finish
    everything.
        Mr. Meadows. So you were writing it last night, Mr. Cohen?
        Mr. Cohen. We were making edits----
        Mr. Meadows. Don't give me that bull.
        Mr. Cohen. We were making edits all the way through the
    night.
        Chairman Cummings. I recognize Mr. Rouda.
        Mr. Cohen. I'm sorry.
        Mr. Rouda. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Mr. Cohen, in November 2013, President Donald Trump
    testified under oath in a lawsuit related to the failed real
    estate project Trump International Hotel and Tower in Ft.
    Lauderdale. During the deposition, President Trump was asked
    about his knowledge of Felix Sater, a Russian-born real estate
    developer and convicted member of the Russian Mafia, who,
    according to press reports, pled guilty for his role in a 40
    million stock manipulation scheme.
        And it's worth noting and it's well-publicized the direct
    relationship between the Russian Mafia and the Kremlin. Over
    the years, President Trump was asked how many times he
    interacted with convicted Russian mobster Felix Sater. In 2013,
    President Trump testified that, quote, ``not many. If he were
    sitting in the room right now, I really wouldn't know what he
    looked like,'' unquote.
        Mr. Cohen, as you previously testified, isn't it true that
    President Trump knew convicted Russian mobster Felix Sater in
    2013 when he made that statement?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Rouda. Isn't it true that, because of Mr. Sater's
    relationship to the Trump Organization, that he had an office
    in the Trump Tower?
        Mr. Cohen. And on the 26th floor, Mr. Trump's----
        Mr. Rouda. And the 26th floor is important why?
        Mr. Cohen. Because it's Mr. Trump's floor.
        Mr. Rouda. So he had an office on the same floor as
    President Trump?
        Mr. Cohen. In fact, his office, when he left, became my
    office.
        Mr. Rouda. And isn't it also true that convicted Russian
    mobster Sater even had business cards indicating that he was a
    senior advisor to Donald Trump as reported by The Washington
    Post?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Rouda. Did convicted Russian mobster Sater pay rent for
    his office?
        Mr. Cohen. No, he did not.
        Mr. Rouda. So, based on these facts, isn't it true that
    President Trump misled, at best, or worst, lied under oath?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Rouda. In December 2015, President Trump was asked
    again about his relationship to convicted Russian mobster, Mr.
    Sater by a reporter for the Associated Press. He stated, quote,
    ``Felix Sater, boy, I have to even think about it,'' unquote.
    He added, quote, ``I'm not that familiar with him,'' unquote.
    Mr. Cohen, where would we find business records that explained
    the President's relationship to the convicted Russian mobster
    Felix Sater? Would those be in the Trump Organization's files?
        Mr. Cohen. They'd be in the Trump Organization's files.
    There would be CCs to Bayrock, which was the name of Mr.
    Sater's company. I suspect on Mr. Sater's email address,
    possibly hard files in possession of Mr. Sater.
        Mr. Rouda. And when you say ``in possession of the Trump
    Organization,'' where?
        Mr. Cohen. It depends upon who the attorney was that was
    working on it. Now it would probably be in a box offsite. They
    have a storage facility that they----
        Mr. Rouda. OK.
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. put old files.
        Mr. Rouda. In addition to convicted Russian mobster Sater,
    do you know of any other ties to convicted or alleged mobsters
    President Trump may have?
        Mr. Cohen. I am not aware.
        Mr. Rouda. Isn't it true that many people with ties to
    Russia ultimately bought condos in Trump properties usually for
    cash, and if so, how many are we talking? 10, 20, 50, hundreds?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm not--honestly, sir, I'm not aware of any.
    You know, the statement that was--you're referring to, I
    believe, is made by either Eric or Don. And I don't agree with
    it.
        Mr. Rouda. So are you aware of any cash purchases by
    Russian oligarchs and family members of Trump properties?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm not aware of that. I can tell you, when you
    say cash, if you mean walking in with a satchel of rubles, the
    answer is, I've never seen that happen. I've never heard of it.
        I will tell you, when we sold Mr. Trump's property in Palm
    Beach, the home for $95 million, it came in by wire, and that
    came from Mr. Rybolovlev's bank account.
        Mr. Rouda. One other question. You also talked about
    President Trump doing negotiations throughout the campaign,
    regarding the Trump Tower in Moscow. Was he directly involved
    in those negotiations, and if so, how do you know?
        Mr. Cohen. Well, the answer is yes. And as it relates to
    negotiations, it was merely followups as to what's currently
    happening, what's happening with Russia, meaning he wanted me
    to give him a status report. The problem with this is that the
    project never advanced because they were unable--Mr. Sater was
    unable to provide me with proof that somebody owned or
    controlled a piece of property that we can actually build on.
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time has expired.
        Mr. Rouda. Thank you.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Amash?
        Mr. Amash. Mr. Cohen, why did Mr. Trump choose to hire you,
    and why did he trust you with the various tasks that you
    performed for him?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't know, sir. You would have to ask him
    that question.
        Mr. Amash. Well, we've heard here that you have bad
    character. You've admitted to that over the years. You have no
    idea why he chose to hire you?
        Mr. Cohen. In 2006, I was asked by Don Jr. to come meet
    with his father; I did. He then followed up by asking if I
    would take a look at an issue that was occurring at Trump World
    Tower with the board. I went ahead and I looked into it, and I
    found that the statements that the board were making about Mr.
    Trump were inaccurate.
        And the reason Don came to me is because I had an apartment
    there for investment. My parents had an apartment there, my in-
    laws lived there, friends of mine, we all bought as a big block
    from a brokerage company, and we got a good price on each unit.
    And we ultimately turned over the board, and I became,
    actually, the treasurer of the board because the out-of-control
    spending was going to put the building into bankruptcy, and I
    was proud to say that within a year, we had plus a million
    dollars, versus minus 1.3.
        At the end of the day, Mr. Trump appreciated that, and he
    tasked me with something else. It was to handle a problem that
    Don Jr. had created in terms of a business, a license deal. And
    we resolved that.
        And then on top of that, the third time, Mr. Trump had
    asked me to take a look at the third Trump Entertainment Resort
    Chapter 11 reorganization, because he had a series of questions
    that he wanted answered. And I read these two stack books, gave
    him the answers that he needed, and with that, he--and the next
    time I was sitting in his office, and he asked me if I was
    happy at the sleepy old firm that I was with. I said yes. He
    said, Would you rather work for me? And I asked, Are you
    offering me a job? And he said, Yes. And we negotiated, and I
    actually never went back to my office.
        Mr. Amash. All right. You suggested that the President
    sometimes communicates his wishes indirectly. For example, you
    said, quote, ``Mr. Trump did not directly tell me to lie to
    Congress, that's not how he operates,'' end quote. Can you
    explain how he does this?
        Mr. Cohen. Sure. It would be no different if I said, That's
    the nicest looking tie I've ever seen, isn't it? What are you
    going to do, are you going to fight with him? The answer is no.
    So you say, yes, it's the nicest looking tie I've ever seen.
    That's how he speaks. He doesn't give you questions. He doesn't
    give you orders. He speaks in a code, and I understand the code
    because I've been around him for a decade.
        Mr. Amash. And it's your impression that others who work
    for him understand the code as well?
        Mr. Cohen. Most people, yes.
        Mr. Amash. Mr. Cohen, I don't know whether we should
    believe you today, but I'm going to ask you this one last
    question. What is the truth that you know President Trump fears
    most?
        Mr. Cohen. That's a tough question, sir. I don't--I don't--
    I don't have an answer for that one. What does he fear most?
        Mr. Amash. What's the truth that he fears most? From your
    perspective. And again, I don't know whether we should believe
    you here today, but----
        Mr. Cohen. It's a tough question, sir. I don't know how to
    answer that question.
        Mr. Amash. All right. Let me ask you this: What principles
    have you chosen to follow in your life, and do you wish to
    follow different principles now?
        Mr. Cohen. I've always tried to be a good person. I've
    tried to be a great friend. There were many, I think over 40
    statements written in my support to the sentencing judge. I
    have friends who I treat incredibly well that I know for over
    40 years. And I treat people, after 40 minutes, the same exact
    way.
        Am I perfect? No. Do I make mistakes? Yes. Have I made
    mistakes? Absolutely. I'm going to pay the consequences for it.
        But all I would like to do is be able to get my life back,
    to protect my wife and my children, support, and grow old.
    That's pretty much where I'd like to be.
        Mr. Amash. And you feel you're following a different set of
    principles now than you followed throughout your life?
        Mr. Cohen. I do. And I'm trying. I'm trying very hard. I
    thank you for your questions. Some of the other ones really
    make it difficult to try to, you know, show some redemption.
    But, you know, I am trying. I am trying.
        Mr. Amash. All right. Thank you.
        Mr. Cohen. Thank you.
        Chairman Cummings. Ms. Hill.
        Ms. Hill. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        I want to mention really quick a clarification on the truth
    and testimony form. The mention was around whether it talks
    about foreign entities at all. And the question is, in fact,
    whether witnesses have any contracts or payments originating
    with a foreign government. It does not cover all foreign
    entities, just foreign government entities.
        So, Mr. Cohen, what I'd like to ask you to do is review
    this issue over lunch with your attorneys. And if you need to
    amend your form, we ask that you do that before the conclusion
    of today's hearing.
        Also, I represent a purple district. I did not come here
    for partisan bickering. In fact, I actively wanted to avoid it.
    So when I ask these questions today, it is not as someone who
    has a vendetta against the President. It's as someone who comes
    from generations of servicemembers who swore an oath to obey
    the orders of the President of the United States and who, along
    with myself and every single other person up here, swore to
    uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States.
        My forefathers served their country, they served their
    Commander in Chief, and they served the idea that America is
    free and just and that the law of the land rules us all,
    especially those in the highest levels of our government.
        So I ask these questions to help determine whether our very
    own President committed felony crimes while serving in the Oval
    Office, including efforts to conceal payments that were
    intended to mislead the public and influence the outcome of an
    election. I hope to God that is not the case.
        So, Mr. Cohen, on January 22, 2018, just days after the
    Wall Street Journal broke the story that Mr. Cohen paid
    $130,000 to Stephanie Clifford to silence her during the 2016
    Presidential campaign, a nonprofit watchdog called Common Cause
    filed a complaint with the Department of Justice and FEC
    alleging the payment to Ms. Clifford may have represented an
    illegal in-kind contribution to the Trump campaign. I ask that
    their complaint be entered into the record.
        Chairman Cummings. So ordered.
        [The information referred to follows:]
        [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Ms. Hill. On February 13, 2018, Mr. Cohen, you sent a
    statement to the reporters that said, quote, ``I used my own
    personal funds to facilitate a payment of $130,000 to Ms.
    Stephanie Clifford, and neither The Trump Organization nor the
    Trump campaign was party to the transaction with Ms. Clifford
    and neither reimbursed me for the payment either directly or
    indirectly.'' Was the statement false?
        Mr. Cohen. The statement is not false. I purposefully left
    out Mr. Trump individually from that statement.
        Ms. Hill. OK. Why did you say it that way?
        Mr. Cohen. Because that's what was discussed to do between
    myself, Mr. Trump, and Allen Weisselberg.
        Ms. Hill. So it was carefully worded?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, ma'am.
        Ms. Hill. Great.
        Mr. Cohen, a reporter for the magazine Vanity Fair has
    reported that she interviewed you the very next day, on
    February 14, 2018, about the payment and reimbursement. And she
    wrote, quote, ``Last February 14, I interviewed Cohen in his
    office about the statement he gave the FEC in which he said
    Trump didn't know about the Stormy payment or reimbursed him
    for it.''
        Do you recall this meeting with the reporter?
        Mr. Cohen. I do.
        Ms. Hill. The reporter also wrote, ``Trump called while I
    was there. I couldn't hear much, but he wanted to go over what
    the public messaging would be.''
        Is that accurate?
        Mr. Cohen. It is.
        Ms. Hill. Did the President call you while you were having
    a meeting with the reporter?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Ms. Hill. Did the President call you to coordinate on
    public messaging about the payments to Ms. Clifford in or
    around February 2018?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Ms. Hill. What did the President ask or suggest that you
    say about the payments or reimbursements?
        Mr. Cohen. He was not knowledgeable of these
    reimbursements, and he wasn't knowledgeable of my actions.
        Ms. Hill. He asked you to say that?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, ma'am.
        Ms. Hill. Great.
        In addition to the personal check for $35,000 in July 2017,
    is there additional corroborating evidence that Mr. Trump,
    while a sitting President of the United States, directly
    reimbursed you hush money as part of a criminal scheme to
    violate campaign finance laws?
        Mr. Cohen. There are 11 checks that I received for the
    year. The reason why 11, because, as I stated before, one had
    two checks.
        Ms. Hill. And you have copies of all of those?
        Mr. Cohen. I can get copies. I'd have to go to the bank.
        Ms. Hill. So we will be able to get copies of all 11 checks
    that Mr. Trump provided to you as part of this criminal scheme?
        Mr. Cohen. It's either from his personal account, as what
    was demonstrated in the exhibit, or it would come from the
    Donald J. Trump account, the trust account.
        Ms. Hill. Thank you, Mr. Cohen.
        I yield back the remainder of my times.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Gibbs.
        Mr. Gibbs. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        You know, I've just been sitting here. I'm new to the
    committee. I'm not an attorney. Sometimes, Mr. Cohen, it sounds
    like, from your answers, you are either incompetent or are a
    liar. I think maybe I can be a better attorney. I don't know.
        I'm looking through this. You come in here, and you rail on
    the President of the United States, Commander in Chief, while
    he's over across the Pacific Ocean trying to negotiate a deal
    to make this world safer.
        And, Mr. Chairman, just having this committee at this time
    when the Commander in Chief is out of the country is just --
    it's just -- I think is a new precedent.
        But you call him a racist, a cheat, and, you know, you
    attacked his character. And I've been with the President a
    little bit and I didn't see that in the President. I see a
    President who's very sincere, who's trying to make this country
    better for every American.
        And for you to come in here and do that, repentance on your
    part is really unbelievable. Real repentance would be go serve
    your time and don't come back here and make allegations toward
    a man you can't substantiate.
        Now, I'm looking here from the remarks from the prosecutor
    of the Southern District of New York. False statements to bank
    three, which Cohen pleaded guilty, was far from an isolated
    event. It was one of a long series of self-serving lies Cohen
    told numerous financial institutions.
        Earlier in your testimony, I think I heard you say it only
    is a home equity loan. But apparently the prosecutors in New
    York think that there's other financial things that you did.
        You also, they said, managed to commit a series of crimes
    all with holding himself out as a licensed attorney and
    upstanding member of the bar.
        Also, the Southern District prosecutor said that -- wrote
    that your consciousness of wrongdoing is fleeting, that your
    remorse is minimal, and that your instinct to blame others is
    strong.
        So I'm kind of left here why--you worked for the President
    for 10 years before he was President. If you have any sense of
    integrity like you're trying to tell us you have now, if it was
    that bad, why didn't you leave? You weren't stuck there because
    of financial reasons. You had ways to leave. You're an
    attorney.
        And so that's just kind of, you know -- the President's
    working tirelessly, and you come and make these allegations,
    and you could have left any time you want. It looks like to me
    you're trying to save face.
        And with the other questions that came out here was it
    looks like to me you're going to have a very lucrative deal at
    some point in your life, because you don't look like you're
    close to retirement. You're going to have some type of
    lucrative deal.
        And so one of my questions is, and it's come up a little
    bit, talks with you and your attorney. And there's been talks
    about Members of Congress and staff. And you said there was
    some discussions.
        Was any of those discussions that you or your attorneys had
    with Members of Congress or staff or prosecutors to give
    considerations to favor or other considerations to you or your
    family in the future?
        Mr. Cohen. No. The conversations were about the topics,
    because there were things that originally we could not speak
    about at the request of -- whether it was the special counsel's
    office or the Southern District or any of the other agencies,
    including the House Select Intel or the Senate Select Intel.
        Sir, just for your personal edification here, I was asked
    to come here. Your chairman sent a letter to Mr. Davis, and I
    accepted. So I'm here voluntarily.
        Mr. Gibbs. I understand that.
        Mr. Cohen. And if you believe that I'm----
        Mr. Gibbs. It's my time. I understand. I think it's a
    political theater.
        Mr. Cohen. Sir, if you believe -- it's not political
    theater for me. And I take no pleasure in saying anything
    negative about Mr. Trump.
        You've met him for a short period of time. I've been with
    him for over a decade. I've traveled with him internationally.
    I've spent dinners with him. It doesn't make me feel good about
    what's going on here.
        And as far as saving face, I'm not sure how being in front
    of the world, being called a tax cheat----
        Mr. Gibbs. Well, this world today, with these lucrative
    book deals, movies that come about, I think you'll be pretty
    good in about five years.
        I yield the rest of my time to the ranking member.
        Mr. Jordan. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
        Earlier you said you started the campaign?
        Mr. Cohen. That's correct, in 2011.
        Mr. Jordan. You started the campaign for President of the
    United States for Donald Trump?
        Mr. Cohen. I certainly did, sir.
        Mr. Jordan. Now, that's news.
        Mr. Cohen. ShouldTrumpRun.com.
        Mr. Jordan. Wow.
        Mr. Cohen. 2011. It was my idea. I saw a document in the
    newspaper that said, Who would you vote for in 2012? Six
    percent of the people said----
        Mr. Jordan. Michael Cohen. Michael Cohen.
        Mr. Cohen. Michael Cohen.
        Six percent of the people turned around and said they'd
    vote for Donald Trump.
        Mr. Jordan. The reason Donald Trump is President is because
    of Michael Cohen?
        Mr. Cohen. So I went into his office, and I said to him,
    ``Mr. Trump, take a look at this.''
        And he goes, ``Wow, wouldn't that be great.'' And with that
    is where it all started.
        Mr. Jordan. Yes. OK. Like, I'm sure -- I'm sure he had
    never thought of anything like that until you came along.
        Mr. Cohen. No, I didn't say that either.
        Mr. Jordan. Let me ask you one question. I got eight
    seconds. I got eight seconds.
        What did you talk to Mr. Schiff about?
        Mr. Cohen. I spoke to Mr. Schiff about topics that were
    going to be raised at the upcoming hearing.
        Mr. Jordan. Whoa. Not just what time to show up. Actually
    what you're going to talk about?
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time has expired.
        Mr. Jordan. Wow.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Sarbanes. Mr. Sarbanes.
        Mr. Sarbanes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Thank you, Mr. Cohen.
        I know the other side is suggesting that you are an
    incorrigible liar and that you're lying here today. I can't
    think of anything you have to gain at this point from lying. I
    mean, they talk about book deals and other things that you want
    to do. But I see a lot more that you could lose by telling the
    truth today given the threats and other things that have been
    made against you and your family. So that's how I'm
    interpreting it. And, of course, you brought documents with you
    as well to bolster the credibility of your testimony.
        I did want to go back to an earlier line of questioning
    regarding the preparation of your testimony before you came
    before the Intelligence Committee. You talked about a meeting
    at the White House where the testimony was being reviewed. And
    I think you said there it was at least one White House
    attorney, Jay Sekulow, who was there, and you acknowledged that
    there was some edits that were made to your testimony.
        So on that topic, who at the White House reviewed your
    testimony?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't know the answer to that. The document
    was originally created by myself along with my attorney at the
    time from McDermott Will & Emery. And there was a joint defense
    agreement, so the document circulated around. I believe it was
    also reviewed by Abbe Lowell, who represents Ivanka and Jared
    Kushner.
        Mr. Sarbanes. Why did you provide the testimony to the
    White House?
        Mr. Cohen. It was pursuant to the joint defense agreement
    that we were all operating under.
        Mr. Sarbanes. What were the edits that came back
    substantively on the testimony?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm sorry. I don't know, sir. I'd have to take a
    look at the document.
        Mr. Sarbanes. Did you have a--do you have a reaction to why
    there might not have been, in a sense, a protest to what was
    going to be false testimony that was going to be provided?
        Mr. Cohen. No, sir, because the goal was to stay on
    message. It's just limit the relationship whatsoever with
    Russia. It was short. There's no Russian contacts. There's no
    Russian collusion. There's no Russian deals. That's the
    message. That's the same message that existed well before my
    need to come and testify.
        Mr. Sarbanes. So it's an example of where this idea, this
    mentality of you toe the line, whatever the story line or the
    narrative of the day or the month or the year is going to be,
    you toe that line whether it results in false testimony or not.
        Mr. Cohen. I toed the party line, and I'm now suffering.
    And I'm going to continue to suffer for a while, along with my
    family, as a result of it. So yes.
        Mr. Sarbanes. Let me switch gears quickly before my time
    expires. And you may not have direct knowledge of some of these
    things, but you're offering us some very helpful perspective on
    how the Trump world operates.
        And, frankly, another reason I find your testimony fairly
    compelling and credible is because a lot of the things you're
    describing, a lot of the behavior you're describing, is very
    consistent with what we all see every single day. So it's not a
    leap for us to arrive in the same place and perspective that
    you have presented.
        I'm interested in some of the activities around the
    inaugural committee, the inauguration of the President. There
    was an article that appeared in ProPublica, it's a watchdog
    group, about some negotiation on pricing of things at the Trump
    Hotel, where it looks like the rental that was being quoted was
    substantially even double what you would expect to pay
    according to what the market should bear. And so, in a sense,
    the Trump Hotel was up-charging to the inaugural committee.
        Mr. Cohen. Even I couldn't afford to stay there.
        Mr. Sarbanes. Yeah.
        And so I'm just curious. Do you have a sense of whether
    that kind of a practice is something that is consistent or
    inconsistent? Is it possible that that kind of up-charging
    could be done inside a Trump operation?
        Mr. Cohen. It did happen.
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time has expired.
        Mr. Cohen. And what I can say to you is I wasn't part of
    the inaugural committee. I raised a lot of money for the
    inauguration, but I was not part of it. And there was a lot of
    things in that actually, that issue is something that's also,
    obviously, we've read about in the paper being investigated at
    the current moment.
        Mr. Sarbanes. Thank you.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Higgins.
        Mr. Higgins. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Mr. Cohen, it's on my heart to tell you, sir, that -- and
    I'm sorry for what your family is going through. I feel for
    your family.
        Mr. Cohen. Thank you.
        Mr. Higgins. The word tells us clearly that a man's mouth
    is his destruction and his lips are the snare of his soul. And
    I see you, a man trapped in that.
        However, I must tell you that I've arrested several
    thousand men and you remind me of many of them. The ones that
    immediately become humble and remorseful at the time they're
    actually booked, and while they're incarcerated they're quite
    penitent, and then return to their former selves when they're
    back on the street.
        So respectful to your family and what they're going
    through, I owe you the honesty to tell you that that's my sense
    of you, good sir.
        I'm going to give you another opportunity to respond to
    what you brushed off earlier regarding your own statement
    during this testimony from C-SPAN notation at 2 hours and 50
    seconds in.
        You stated regarding your credibility that you're being
    accused of having no credibility, that it is exactly for that
    reason I spent the last week searching boxes to find the
    information that I did so that you don't have to take my word
    for it. I want you to look at the documents and make your own
    decisions.
        Now, the documents you're referring to, Mr. Cohen, are the
    documents that you submitted in your -- with your testimony
    today. Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. That is correct.
        Mr. Higgins. You believe those documents to be worthy of
    evidence for this oversight hearing today?
        Mr. Cohen. I leave that to you to decide.
        Mr. Higgins. And I ask you again sir, and please don't be
    incredulous, this is a serious question, where are those boxes
    that contain documents worthy of evidence to be presented to
    Congress? And why have they not been turned over to
    investigating authorities looking into some of the many
    criminal activities that you're allegedly cooperating in? Where
    are these boxes? Who knows--where is this treasure of evidence?
        Mr. Cohen. The boxes that I'm referring to were boxes that
    were in my law office when the FBI entered and seized documents
    when I was moving----
        Mr. Higgins. Mr. Chairman, I move that the investigating
    authorities have noted what the gentleman had just stated and
    that actions be taken for those boxes to be seized and reviewed
    based upon a proper warrant signed by a sitting judge.
        You noted earlier today, Mr. Cohen, quite incredulously,
    one of my colleagues asked you regarding the television deal,
    you expressed wonderment that your predicament could possibly
    get you on television. It certainly got you on television
    today, has it not, sir?
        Mr. Cohen. Sir, I was on television representing Mr. Trump
    going back into 2011.
        Mr. Higgins. Well, I didn't know who you were until today,
    really. Until the FBI raided your home, most of America didn't
    know who you were.
        How many attorneys do you think Mr. Trump has had through
    the course of his career? Quite a few, I would imagine. You're
    just one that's in a trap right now. And I understand you're
    trying to get out of it. You're in a bind.
        But I ask you, good sir, have you discussed film and book
    deals with your stated current attorney, Mr. Davis, Lanny
    Davis?
        Mr. Cohen. With Mr. Davis?
        Mr. Higgins. Yes.
        Mr. Cohen. No. But I have been approached by many people
    who are looking to do book deals, movie deals, and so on. So
    the answer to that is yes.
        Mr. Higgins. This is your right as an American. But it
    leads me back to my instinct that compares you to many of the
    men that I have arrested during the course of my career.
        Mr. Cohen. With all due respect, sir----
        Mr. Higgins. Mr. Chairman, I ask that our primary hearing
    to introduce the Oversight Committee, the 116th Congress, to
    the American people, has manifested in the way that it
    obviously is. This is an attempt to injure our President, lay
    some sort of soft cornerstone for future impeachment
    proceedings. This is the full intent of the majority.
        I yield my remaining 30 seconds to the ranking member.
        Mr. Jordan. Mr. Cohen, earlier you said the United States
    Southern District of New York is not accurate in that
    statement.
        Mr. Cohen. I'm sorry. Say that again.
        Mr. Jordan. Earlier you said that the United States
    Southern District of New York Attorney's Office, that statement
    is not accurate. You said it's not a lie. You said it's not
    accurate. Do you stand by that?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, I did not want a role in the new
    administration.
        Mr. Jordan. So the court's wrong?
        Mr. Cohen. Sir, can I finish, please?
        Mr. Jordan. Sure.
        Mr. Cohen. I got exactly the role that I wanted. There is
    no shame in being personal attorney to the President. I got
    exactly what I wanted. I asked Mr. Trump for that job, and he
    gave it to me.
        Mr. Jordan. All I'm asking, if I could--and I appreciate
    it, Mr. Chairman -- you're saying that statement from the
    Southern District of New York attorneys is wrong.
        Mr. Cohen. I'm saying I didn't write it, and it's not
    accurate.
        Mr. Jordan. All right. Thank you.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Welch.
        Mr. Welch. Thank you.
        One of the most significant events in the last Presidential
    campaign, of course, was the dump of emails stolen from the
    Democratic National Committee, dumped by WikiLeaks.
        Mr. Cohen, during your opening statement, which was at the
    height of the election, you testified you were actually meeting
    with Donald Trump in July 2016 when Roger Stone happened to
    call and tell Mr. Trump that he had just spoken to Julian
    Assange. Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. That is correct.
        Mr. Welch. All right. And you said that Mr. Assange told
    Mr. Trump about an upcoming--quoting your opening statement--
    quote, ``massive dump of emails that would damage Hillary
    Clinton's campaign.''
        So I want to ask you about Roger Stone's phone call to the
    President.
        First of all, was that on Speakerphone? Is that what you
    indicated?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes. So Mr. Trump has a black Speakerphone that
    sits on his desk. He uses it quite often because with all the
    number of phone calls he gets.
        Mr. Welch. All right. Now, in January of this year, 2019,
    the New York Times asked President Trump if he ever spoke to
    Roger Stone about these stolen emails, and President Trump
    answered, and I quote, ``No, I didn't. I never did.''
        Was that statement by President Trump true?
        Mr. Cohen. No, it's not accurate.
        Mr. Welch. And can you please describe for us, to the best
    of your recollection, you were present, exactly what Mr. Stone
    said to Mr. Trump?
        Mr. Cohen. It was a short conversation, and he said, Mr.
    Trump, I just want to let you know that I just got off the
    phone with Julian Assange, and in a couple of days there's
    going to be a massive dump of emails that's going to severely
    hurt the Clinton campaign.
        Mr. Welch. And was Mr. Trump and Mr. Stone aware of where
    those emails came from?
        Mr. Cohen. That, I'm not aware of.
        Mr. Welch. Did Mr. Trump ever suggest then or later to call
    the FBI to report this breach?
        Mr. Cohen. He never expressed that to me.
        Mr. Welch. Did the President at that time or ever since, in
    your knowledge, indicate an awareness that this conduct was
    wrong?
        Mr. Cohen. No.
        Mr. Welch. The reason I ask is because on July 22, on the
    eve of the Democratic convention, WikiLeaks published, as you
    know, the 20,000 leaked internal DNC emails.
        Could your meeting with Mr. Trump have been before that
    date?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Welch. So Mr. Trump was aware of the upcoming dump
    before it actually happened?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Welch. And is there any recollection----
        Mr. Cohen. No, sir, I don't know whether he knew or not,
    and I don't believe he did, what the sum and substance of the
    dump was going to be, only that there was going to be a dump of
    emails.
        Mr. Welch. And he was aware of that before the dump
    occurred, correct?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, sir.
        Mr. Welch. All right. And are there any records that would
    corroborate the day of this meeting? Calendars, perhaps.
        Mr. Cohen. I'm not in possession. But I believe, again,
    this is part of the special counsel. And they are probably best
    suited to corroborate that information.
        Mr. Welch. Was anyone else present in the room during the
    call?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't recall for this one, no, sir.
        Mr. Welch. Is there anyone else the committee should talk
    to about the President's knowledge of the WikiLeaks email dump?
        Mr. Cohen. Oh, again, when he called, Rhona Graff yelled
    out to Mr. Trump, Roger's on line 1, which was regular
    practice.
        Mr. Welch. And that's his assistant?
        Mr. Cohen. That's his -- yes.
        Mr. Welch. All right. And during a news conference on July
    27, 2016, then candidate Trump publicly appealed to Russia to
    hack Hillary Clinton's emails and make them public. He stated,
    and I quote, ``Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able
    to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.''
        Now, going back to Mr. Stone's phone call to the President,
    do you recall if Mr. Trump had knowledge of the WikiLeaks dump
    at the time of his direct appeal to Russia?
        Mr. Cohen. I am not.
        Mr. Welch. But the call with Mr. Stone, you believe, was
    before----
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Welch [continuing]. this 27th----
        Mr. Cohen. Yes. I'm sorry. I thought you were talking about
    a different set of documents that got dumped.
        So I was in Mr. Trump's office. It was either July 18th or
    19th. And, yes, he went ahead. I don't know if the 35,000--or
    30,000 emails was what he was referring to, but he certainly
    had knowledge.
        Mr. Welch. All right. Thank you.
        Just one last question.
        Mr. Raskin had been asking you some questions. And one of
    the things in your answer was that Mr. Pecker expended other
    moneys to protect Mr. Trump.
        Can you elaborate on what some of those other activities
    were?
        Mr. Cohen. Sure. There was the story about Mr. Trump having
    a love child with an employee--with an employee. And, actually,
    the husband of that employee works for the company as well. And
    there was an elevator operator who claims that he overheard the
    conversation taking place between one of Mr. Trump's other
    executives and somebody. And he ended up paying like $15,000 in
    order to buy that story to find out whether it was true or not.
        And that's just one example of things that David had done
    over the years. It was the reason why, in the recording, when
    David was looking to become the CEO of Time magazine, we were
    concerned about--we'll call it the treasure trove of documents
    that had been created over the years that, if he left, somebody
    could open up the key to a drawer and find all this
    information. So we were going to look to buy all of those life
    rights and so on.
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time has expired.
        Mr. Norman.
        Mr. Norman. Mr. Cohen, thank you for testifying. I join
    Congressman Higgins in feeling for your family. They have no
    part in this.
        You know, I've heard all the testimony, and I'm trying to
    decide what Clay is trying to decide. Are you really sorry for
    what you did or you just got caught?
        And the thing that amazed me is that in your opening
    statement--which, let me quote, ``Last fall I pled guilty in
    Federal court to felonies for the benefit of, at the direction
    of, and in coordination with Individual 1.'' Was that the
    President?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, sir.
        Mr. Norman. OK. Your crimes were of your own to benefit
    yourself. Go through----
        Mr. Cohen. Some of them, yes.
        Mr. Norman. No. Go through all the ones with the real
    estate, with the banks. On your HELOC loan, you failed to
    disclose more than $20 million in debt. You failed to disclose
    $70,000 in monthly payments. On your $14 million line of
    credit, you failed to disclose that you had drawn on that.
        So this was all for yourself. This wasn't for the benefit
    of President Trump. This was to benefit Michael Cohen. So
    that's my question. Did you just get caught?
        And you worked for this man for 10 years, Mr. Cohen. You
    came in here with these -- with these -- he's a conman. He's a
    cheat.
        This is the very man that -- didn't you wiretap him
    illegally? Did you not wiretap President Trump without his
    knowledge?
        Mr. Cohen. I did record Mr. Trump in a conversation, yes.
        Mr. Norman. Is that lawyer-client privilege? Is that
    something that an honest guy would do, an honest lawyer?
        Mr. Cohen. I actually never thought that this was going to
    be happening and that that recording even existed. I had
    forgotten.
        Mr. Norman. But you did it.
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, I did.
        Mr. Norman. Have you ever----
        Mr. Cohen. I had a reason for doing it.
        Mr. Norman. What was your reason?
        Mr. Cohen. Because I knew he wasn't going to pay that
    money. And David Pecker had already chewed me out on multiple
    occasions regarding other moneys that he expended.
        Mr. Norman. But this is a man that you trusted, you'd take
    a bullet for, you secretly recorded.
        Let me ask you this, Mr. Cohen. Have you done--have you
    legally or illegally recorded other clients?
        Mr. Cohen. I have recordings of people, yes.
        Mr. Norman. Legally or illegally?
        Mr. Cohen. I believe that they're legal.
        Mr. Norman. Did you tell him?
        Mr. Cohen. In New York State you don't have to do that.
        Mr. Norman. So you did didn't tell him?
        Mr. Cohen. No, I did not.
        Mr. Norman. OK.
        Mr. Cohen. Sometimes I also used the recordings for
    contemporaneous notetaking instead of writing it down. I find
    it easier.
        Mr. Norman. If the shoe were reversed, would you like your
    trusted lawyer recording you?
        Mr. Cohen. I probably would not, no.
        Mr. Norman. No, sir. It's untrustworthy. It's something
    people just would not do.
        Now, your bank loans that I just ran down, did you ever
    default on any of those loans?
        Mr. Cohen. No, sir.
        Mr. Norman. So the bank didn't take any loss?
        Mr. Cohen. No bank has -- I am not in default. I have never
    filed a bankruptcy. The HELOC you're referring to, I replaced
    that from a different HELOC, paid it off. There is--I owe no
    banks any money.
        Mr. Norman. How about your medallion taxicab. Did they--did
    you have to sell that?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm still -- well, the ones in Chicago, yes, I
    do have to sell. However, New York, the answer is no, I don't.
    And they are--the industry is going through a major, major
    correction because of ride sharing. It's changed a lot of
    things.
        Mr. Norman. The value of it has.
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, sir.
        Mr. Norman. Right.
        Has the -- so no bank -- would the banks make you a loan
    again based on your record?
        Mr. Cohen. Actually, they did. They did post the -- yes,
    the bank actually redid, and they refinanced the entire
    package----
        Mr. Norman. Currently?
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. post this, yes.
        Mr. Norman. OK. Have they never had to do loan loss reserve
    for the projected losses?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't know what they did. But it's still the
    same amount. I didn't get the benefit of it, no, sir.
        Mr. Norman. Most likely they did. I was on an audit
    committee.
        Mr. Cohen. They may have -- they may have done that, sir.
    But that's for their own banking, not for me.
        Mr. Norman. No, it's by law. They have to -- if they
    suspect you of lying, which you admitted to, if they suspect
    you of maybe not being able to make a loan payment, they have
    to have a loan loss reserve that's 125 percent of what you --
    if it's $20 million, they have to post in their account $20
    million plus. So they get no interest on it.
        You know who pays for that? The American public who deals
    with that bank.
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, but, sir, I'm not in default. And I'm
    current on each and every one of those medallion loans. And
    I've never owed any money to First Republic Bank. In fact, at
    the time that I had the HELOC, I had more cash sitting in that
    same bank than----
        Mr. Norman. OK. Last question. I'm out of time.
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. than the HELOC and my mortgage
    combined.
        Mr. Norman. Have you ever been to Prague?
        Mr. Cohen. I've never been to Prague.
        Mr. Norman. Never have?
        Mr. Cohen. I've never been to the Czech Republic.
        Mr. Norman. Yield the balance of my time.
        Chairman Cummings. Ms. Speier.
        Ms. Speier. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        And thank you, Mr. Cohen.
        On page five of your statement, you say, and I quote, ``You
    need to know that Mr. Trump's personal lawyers reviewed and
    edited my statement to Congress about the timing of the Moscow
    Tower negotiations.''
        Who were those attorneys?
        Mr. Cohen. Jay Sekulow -- from the White House?
        Ms. Speier. Yes.
        Mr. Cohen. Jay Sekulow. I believe Abbe Lowell as well.
        Ms. Speier. And do you have a copy of your original
    statement that you can provide to the committee?
        Mr. Cohen. I can try to get that for you.
        Ms. Speier. All right. If you would do that.
        The letter of intent for the Moscow tower was in the fall
    of 2015, correct?
        Mr. Cohen. Correct.
        Ms. Speier. Was there an expiration date on that letter of
    intent?
        Mr. Cohen. There was no expiration date.
        Ms. Speier. So it could technically still be in effect
    today?
        Mr. Cohen. No, it's been terminated.
        Ms. Speier. It has been terminated?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, ma'am.
        Ms. Speier. OK. Did Mr. Trump tell you to offer Vladimir
    Putin a free penthouse?
        Mr. Cohen. No, ma'am. That was----
        Ms. Speier. So where did that come from?
        Mr. Cohen. That was Felix Sater. It was a marketing stunt
    that he spoke about.
        Ms. Speier. So Felix Sater had suggested to you that Mr.
    Trump offer a penthouse to Mr. Putin.
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, because it would certainly drive up the
    price per square foot. No different than in any condo where
    they start listing celebrities that live in the property.
        Ms. Speier. In 2016, did you travel to Europe?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Ms. Speier. Did you meet with persons associated with the
    Moscow tower project?
        Mr. Cohen. No.
        Ms. Speier. It was for personal or----
        Mr. Cohen. Personal. My daughter was studying at Queen Mary
    in London.
        Ms. Speier. So you did not meet with any Russians?
        Mr. Cohen. No.
        Ms. Speier. There is an elevator tape that has been
    referenced as a catch and kill product. It was evidently of Mr.
    Trump and a woman, presumably Mrs. Trump. Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. Are we talking about in Moscow or the Trump
    Tower elevator tape?
        Ms. Speier. There's an elevator tape that went up for
    auction----
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Ms. Speier [continuing]. ostensibly in 2016. Is that
    correct?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, I've heard about this.
        Ms. Speier. And who is on that tape?
        Mr. Cohen. It's Mr. Trump with Melania.
        Ms. Speier. And what happened in that tape?
        Mr. Cohen. The story goes that he struck Melania while in
    that elevator, because there's a camera inside, which I'm not
    so sure -- actually, I'm certain it's not true. I've heard
    about that tape for years. I've known four or five different
    people, including folks from AMI, who have----
        Ms. Speier. So -- but there was some tape that went up for
    auction, correct?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't believe that auction was real, and I
    don't believe anybody -- I don't believe Mr. Trump ever struck
    Mrs. Trump ever. I don't believe it.
        Ms. Speier. And are you aware of anyone purchasing that
    tape, then?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't believe it was ever purchased.
        Ms. Speier. So you never saw this tape?
        Mr. Cohen. No, ma'am. And I know several people who went to
    go try to purchase it for catch and kill purpose. It doesn't
    exist. Mr. Trump would never--in my opinion, it's -- that's not
    something that he----
        Ms. Speier. Good to know. Good to know.
        Is there a love child?
        Mr. Cohen. There is not, to my -- to the best of my
    knowledge.
        Ms. Speier. So you would pay off someone to not report----
        Mr. Cohen. It wasn't me, ma'am. It was AMI. It was David
    Pecker.
        Ms. Speier. So he paid off someone about a love child that
    doesn't exist?
        Mr. Cohen. Correct. It was about $15,000.
        Ms. Speier. OK.
        How many times did Mr. Trump ask you to threaten an
    individual or entity on his behalf?
        Mr. Cohen. Quite a few times.
        Ms. Speier. Fifty times?
        Mr. Cohen. More?
        Ms. Speier. A hundred times?
        Mr. Cohen. More.
        Ms. Speier. Two hundred times?
        Mr. Cohen. More.
        Ms. Speier. Five hundred times?
        Mr. Cohen. Probably, over the -- over the 10 years.
        Ms. Speier. Over the 10 years, he asked you----
        Mr. Cohen. And when you say threaten, I'm talking with
    litigation or an argument with----
        Ms. Speier. Intimidation?
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. a nasty reporter that has--is
    writing an article.
        Ms. Speier. What do you know about--let's go to your tapes.
    You said there's probably 100 tapes?
        Mr. Cohen. Voice recordings.
        Ms. Speier. Voice recordings. And will you make them
    available to the committee?
        Mr. Cohen. If you would really like them.
        Chairman Cummings. We would.
        Ms. Speier. Did Mr. Trump----
        Mr. Cohen. Don't you have to gavel that, sir?
        Sorry.
        Chairman Cummings. We would.
        Ms. Speier. Did Mr. Trump tape any conversations?
        Mr. Cohen. Not that I'm aware of, no.
        Ms. Speier. Were you involved in the $25 million settlement
    to Trump University?
        Mr. Cohen. I had a role in that, yes.
        Ms. Speier. Who paid the settlement?
        Mr. Cohen. I believe it was Mr. Trump. I don't know the
    answer to that.
        Ms. Speier. You don't know the answer, but you were
    involved in the----
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, in a different aspect.
        Ms. Speier. There's some reference to a businessman in
    Kansas being involved in that. Are you familiar with that?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm not familiar with that, no.
        Ms. Speier. All right. Finally, in my 13 seconds left, what
    do you want your children to know?
        Mr. Cohen. That I am sorry for everything, and I am sorry
    for the pain that I've caused them, and I wish I can go back in
    time.
        Ms. Speier. Thank you. I yield back.
        Chairman Cummings. The gentlelady's time has expired.
        To the members of the committee, before we go to Ms.
    Miller, for your--so that you can plan--properly plan, there's
    a vote apparently coming up in about 10 to 20 minutes. And what
    we will do is we will recess, and we will come back -- listen
    up -- 30 minutes after the last vote begins. Got that? Not it
    ends, 30 minutes after it begins. And we'll do that promptly.
    All right?
        All right. Mrs. Miller.
        Mrs. Miller. I am very disappointed to have you in front of
    this committee today. Quite frankly, this isn't the reason the
    people of West Virginia sent me to Congress. I find this
    hearing not in the best interest of the American people. This
    is another political game with the sole purpose of discrediting
    the President.
        If it was not already obvious, there are members here with
    the singular goal in Congress to impeach President Trump. To
    achieve this goal, they will waste not only precious taxpayer
    dollars, but also time in this committee and Congress as a
    whole. In fact, they will go so far as to bring a convicted
    felon in front of our committee.
        We are supposed to take what you say, Mr. Cohen, at this
    time about President Trump as the truth. But you're about to go
    to prison for lying. How can we believe anything you say? The
    answer is we can't.
        This begs the question, why are those in the majority
    holding this hearing?
        I am appalled. We could be focused on actual issues that
    are facing America, like border security, neonatal abstinence
    syndrome, or improving our Nation's crumbling infrastructure.
    Instead, the Democrats are trying to grasp at straws.
        Let's talk about this witness. From his sentencing hearing
    in the Southern District of New York, Judge Pauley stated,
    ``Mr. Cohen pled guilty to a veritable smorgasbord of
    fraudulent conduct: Willful tax evasion, making false
    statements to a financial institution, illegal campaign
    contributions, and making false statements to Congress. Each of
    the crimes involved deception, and each appears to have been
    motivated by personal greed and ambition.''
        This is who we have in front of us today in our committee,
    someone who is about to be sent to prison for three years for
    evading his taxes, deceiving a financial institution, lying to
    Congress, among other counts.
        One of the most appalling facts about this hearing is that
    Mr. Cohen has used his experiences with President Trump, both
    before and after he was elected, for his own greed and profit.
        I'd like some yes-or-no answers.
        Isn't it true you tried to sell a book about your time with
    President Trump entitled ``Trump Revolution: From the Tower to
    the White House, Understanding Donald J. Trump''?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes. That happened early on when I was still
    even part, I believe, of the RNC.
        Mrs. Miller. And this book deal, which you had with Hatchet
    Books, was worth around $500,000. Isn't that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. No, more, ma'am.
        Mrs. Miller. How much more?
        Mr. Cohen. I think it was about 750.
        Mrs. Miller. Wow.
        Mr. Cohen. I did turn it down.
        Mrs. Miller. Mr. Cohen, given that you continue to profit
    publicly discussing your time with Mr. Trump, I worry that this
    committee hearing the majority has given you will only serve as
    a platform for you to continue to lie and sensationalize and
    exaggerate wherever it suits you.
        Do you plan to pursue another book deal about your
    experiences?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mrs. Miller. I would presume this book would be a little
    different than your latest pitch. But your new angle might
    please some new fans. Anything to sell books.
        Mr. Chairman, we've canceled hearings on child separation
    and on other issues that are close to my heart for this media
    circus. What a waste of time and money for a man who has gladly
    exploited the name of the President to promote his own name and
    fill his own pockets. It pains me that we are sitting here
    adding another chapter to his book.
        Thank you. And I yield the remainder of my time to Mr.
    Jordan.
        Mr. Jordan. I thank the gentlelady for yielding.
        Earlier, Mr. Cohen, the gentlelady from California talked
    about this tape.
        Mr. Cohen. I'm sorry, sir. I can't hear you.
        Mr. Jordan. Earlier the gentlelady from California talked
    about this tape, this elevator tape, that you said does not
    exist.
        Mr. Cohen. That's correct. I do not believe it exists.
        Mr. Jordan. But is it also your testimony that the Trump
    team was willing to pay to make sure a story about a
    nonexistent tape never became public?
        Mr. Cohen. No, sir, that's not what -- that's not what I
    said.
        Mr. Jordan. They were willing to stop a false tape?
        Mr. Cohen. We looked--we learned that this tape was
    potentially on the market and that it existed. And so what we
    did is exactly what we did with all the other catch and kill.
    We looked for it. And if, in fact, that it did exist, we would
    have tried to stop it. That's what I would have done.
        Mr. Jordan. It's a false tape. Is it not?
        Mr. Cohen. But it's a false tape. I've never----
        Mr. Jordan. Got it.
        Mr. Cohen [continuing]. heard it. And I can assure you one
    thing about Mr. Trump. Many things, he would never ever do
    something like that. I don't see it.
        Chairman Cummings. Ms. Kelly.
        Ms. Kelly. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
        Mr. Cohen, I'd like to ask you more about the details of
    the $130,000 payment you made to Stephanie Clifford, the adult
    film actress known as Stormy Daniels, in order to purchase her
    silence shortly before the 2016 election.
        First, according to documents filed by Federal prosecutors
    in New York, you created a shell company called Essential
    Consultants, LLC. Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. It's correct.
        Ms. Kelly. And you created this company for the purpose of
    making the payment to Ms. Clifford. Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. Amongst other things, yes.
        Ms. Kelly. You then used a home equity line of credit to
    fund the account in the name of Essential Consultants, LLC. Is
    that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. That's correct.
        Ms. Kelly. You then wired $130,000 to the attorney
    representing Ms. Clifford at that time and wrote in the memo
    field for the wire the word, quote, ``retainer.'' Is that
    correct?
        Mr. Cohen. Correct.
        Ms. Kelly. Can you tell us why you decided to use this
    complicated process to make this payment?
        Mr. Cohen. Well, starting an LLC is not a sophisticated
    means. LLC, you call up a company, you pay for it, and they
    open it for you.
        And the reason that I used the home equity line of credit
    as opposed to cash that I had in the same exact bank was I
    didn't want my wife to know about it, because she handles all
    of the banking. And I didn't want her coming to me and asking
    me what was the $130,000 for.
        And then I was going to be able to move money from one
    account to the other and to pay it off, because I didn't want
    to have to explain to her what that payment was about.
        I sent it to the IOLA account, the interest on a lawyer's
    account, to Keith Davidson in California, Ms. Daniel's
    attorney. He would hold it in escrow until such time as I
    received the executed NDA, nondisclosure agreement.
        Ms. Kelly. Did Mr. Trump know you were going through this
    process to hide the payment?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Ms. Kelly. Why not just use Mr. Trump's personal or company
    bank account to make the payment? Why was the distraction so
    important beside you not wanting your wife to know?
        Mr. Cohen. What his concern was was that there would be a
    check that has his very distinct signature onto it. And even
    after she cashed the check, all you need to do is make a
    photocopy of it and it's kind of proof positive on exactly what
    took place.
        So here the goal was to keep him far away from it as
    possible.
        Ms. Kelly. Can anyone corroborate what you have shared with
    us?
        Mr. Cohen. Absolutely.
        Ms. Kelly. And that is?
        Mr. Cohen. Keith Davidson, Allen Weisselberg, President
    Trump.
        Ms. Kelly. OK. Now, let's talk about the reimbursement.
        According to Federal prosecutors, and I quote, ``After the
    election, Cohen sought reimbursement for election-related
    expenses, including the $130,000 payment.'' Prosecutors stated
    that you, and I quote, ``presented an executive of the company
    with a copy of a bank statement reflecting the $130,000 wire
    transfer.'' Is that accurate?
        Mr. Cohen. That is accurate.
        Ms. Kelly. Do you still have a copy of that bank statement?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes. It's actually made part of the exhibit.
        Ms. Kelly. So you will provide it to the committee?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, ma'am.
        Ms. Kelly. According to Federal prosecutors, executives at
    the company then, and I quote, ``agreed to reimburse Cohen by
    adding $130,000 and $50,000, grossing up that amount to
    $360,000 for tax purposes, and adding a $60,000 bonus such that
    Cohen would be paid $420,000 in total. Executives of the
    company decided to pay the $420,000 in monthly installments at
    $35,000 over the course of a year.'' Is that accurate?
        Mr. Cohen. That is accurate.
        Ms. Kelly. What was the purpose of grossing up the amount,
    essentially doubling what you had paid to Ms. Clifford and
    others?
        Mr. Cohen. Because if you pay $130,000 and you live in New
    York where you have a 50 percent tax bracket, in order to get
    you 130 back, you have to have 260. Otherwise, if he gave me
    back 130, I would only -- then I'd be out 65,000.
        Ms. Kelly. What was the purpose of spreading the
    reimbursements to you over the 12 monthly installments?
        Mr. Cohen. That was in order to hide what the payment was.
    I obviously wanted the money in one shot. I would have
    preferred it that way. But in order to be able to put it onto
    the books, Allen Weisselberg made the decision that it should
    be paid over the 12 months so that it would look like a
    retainer.
        Ms. Kelly. And did Mr. Trump know about this reimbursement
    method?
        Mr. Cohen. Oh, he knew about everything, yes.
        Ms. Kelly. Well, thank you, Mr. Cohen.
        So the President not only knew about the payments, he knew
    and helped to hide the payments and the reimbursements to you.
        Mr. Cohen. We discussed it. Everything had to go through
    Mr. Trump, and it had to be approved by Mr. Trump.
        Ms. Kelly. And now you're going to prison and he's----
        Mr. Cohen. And I'm going to prison, yes, ma'am.
        Ms. Kelly. I yield back.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Armstrong.
        Mr. Armstrong. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Ms. Kelly. Yes, I yield my time.
        Mr. Armstrong. Earlier you had said -- I'm assuming New
    York a one-party consent state. One person can record the other
    one without it being illegal?
        Mr. Cohen. Correct.
        Mr. Armstrong. But you also were a member of the New York
    Bar?
        Mr. Cohen. I was, yes.
        Mr. Armstrong. How would you rate recording clients in the
    ethical realm of being a lawyer?
        Mr. Cohen. It's not illegal, and I do----
        Mr. Armstrong. I'm not asking if it's illegal. I'm asking
    if it's ethical.
        Mr. Cohen. I don't know.
        Mr. Armstrong. OK.
        Mr. Cohen. That we'd have to leave to the judgment of the
    Bar Association.
        Mr. Armstrong. Well, I think every other lawyer in here
    knows exactly where it is on the ethical standard.
        When you said you had 100 tapes, were any of those tapes of
    other clients?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Armstrong. And I think this is pretty amazing. I really
    do. Did any of them waive privilege?
        Mr. Cohen. No.
        Mr. Armstrong. So five minutes ago, in the middle of our
    hearing on oversight, you just immediately responded that you
    would hand over tapes to this committee without any of your
    previous clients' waiving privilege.
        Mr. Cohen. I'm not the only one in possession of those
    documents. Those documents are in the hands of all----
        Mr. Armstrong. Whoever else is in charge of those documents
    is not my concern. My concern is, I know lawyers that would go
    to jail before they would violate attorney-client privilege.
    And in a matter of a second, you just said, absolutely, I will
    turn those over.
        Mr. Cohen. I'm just trying to cooperate, sir.
        Mr. Armstrong. At the expense of clients who have never
    waived privilege.
        Mr. Cohen. They're already in the hands, sir, of all of the
    agencies. I didn't ask people----
        Mr. Armstrong. What law enforcement determines to do with
    something and what you determine to do with something, the
    client privilege and attorney trust accounts are about the two
    most sacred things that you can ever do in your entire career
    as a lawyer.
        Mr. Cohen. And, by the way, sir----
        Mr. Armstrong. And in a matter of a second you completely--
    --
        Mr. Cohen. And by the way, sir, and the tape with Mr.
    Trump, the reason that it is out there is because Rudy Giuliani
    waived the privilege.
        Mr. Armstrong. I'm not talking about Rudy Giuliani. I'm
    talking about you. I don't know who's on those tapes. Only you
    know who's on those tapes. There's 100 of them.
        Mr. Cohen. The other one is also subject to an ongoing----
        Mr. Armstrong. My point is, within a matter of a second,
    one second, you took no, absolutely no calculation of your role
    as those clients' counselor, the role that plays in privacy,
    and in the role that plays in the solemn vow you took when you
    passed the bar, when you signed onto the bar, until recently
    were a member of the bar, and you just immediately said, if it
    helps me out today in front of TV, yes, absolutely, Mr.
    Chairman, you can have that. And that just goes into what we're
    going to talk about next briefly.
        We talk about these indictments on tax fraud and bank fraud
    as if they are isolated incidents. But they're not isolated
    incidents of bad judgment. These were intricate, elaborate lies
    that created--that needed to be held with constant--I mean,
    just constant deceptions of banks, businesses, associates,
    accountants, potentially your family.
        You received over 2.4 million in personal loans from taxi
    company--taxi medallion company one. And those were loan
    payments for a business loan, correct.
        Mr. Cohen. No, sir.
        Mr. Armstrong. You weren't receiving----
        Mr. Cohen. Those----
        Mr. Armstrong. OK. Go ahead.
        Mr. Cohen. Those were payments that were made by the
    management company that was operating the medallions.
        Mr. Armstrong. To you.
        Mr. Cohen. To me.
        Mr. Armstrong. So and you -- those were deposited into your
    personal account or, in some instances, your wife's account.
        Mr. Cohen. It was deposited into the joint checking account
    of my wife and I that's located at the base of the building
    that we reside in.
        Mr. Armstrong. And were those disclosed on your tax
    returns?
        Mr. Cohen. They are not--they were not disclosed on my tax
    returns.
        Mr. Armstrong. And, in fact, when your accountant talked to
    you about those deposits, you told him you wouldn't pay for a
    memo that you didn't ask to be done?
        Mr. Cohen. That's inaccurate.
        Mr. Armstrong. So the sentencing court in New York has it
    wrong?
        Mr. Cohen. OK. I don't know what Mr. Getzel wrote, my
    accountant. There are a series of issues regarding his memo,
    anyway, including the fact that he's almost directed me in an
    earlier memo to commit fraud.
        But putting all that aside with Jeff Getzel, the answer to
    that is I pled guilty. All right? And I made my mistake, and
    I'm going, as I've said 100 times now.
        I'm not so sure why this singular attack on my taxes. If
    you want to look at them, I'm more than happy to show them to
    you. But every single word that's been written about me----
        Mr. Armstrong. If the chairman will give me 20 minutes,
    I've got plenty of other things to talk about.
        Mr. Cohen. Every single word that's written about me is not
    100 percent accurate.
        Mr. Armstrong. All right. I'm going to reclaim my time.
        Mr. Cohen. And that's exactly why, when it comes to the
    credibility, why I asked Mr. Davis and Mr. Monaco to please
    let's figure out how to----
        Mr. Armstrong. But that's my point with the credibility.
    These aren't isolated--there are not isolated incidents of
    attack. These were constant deceptions, whether it's rolling
    over a $20 million line of credit to a $14 million credit, you
    went through great lengths to conceal that from one bank while
    at the same time you are reducing your net income to another
    bank.
        These aren't things that happened on January 1 of 1918,
    January 1 of 1917, January 1 of 1915. These are things that
    were constantly involved on a--my question is, was it
    exhausting keeping track of all the lies that you were telling
    all these people?
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time has expired.
        You may----
        Mr. Cohen. I don't have an answer for him.
        Chairman Cummings. Very well.
        Mr. DeSaulnier.
        Mr. Cohen. Thank you for continuing the narrative.
        Mr. DeSaulnier. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Mr. Cohen. Good luck on your road to redemption.
        Mr. Cohen. Thank you. It's going to be a long way.
        Mr. DeSaulnier. Well, the opposite of that is perdition, as
    I remember, and that's particularly hard on your children. So I
    wish you well and I wish your family well.
        Mr. Cohen, as you've sort of described your road to here,
    Mr. Cooper asked you when the moment was, or moments, when you
    decided you needed to change. It strikes me there is a
    transition that you have illuminated here. Your period of time,
    the 10 years working for somebody who you admired as a
    developer. And then when Charlottesville happened and, quite
    frankly, when the special counsel called you in, obviously, was
    a key part of it, or you wouldn't be here.
        But the in-between part I find really interesting and
    troubling, at least in terms of appearances and confidence that
    the American people would have in this institution and
    democracy, quite frankly.
        So during that period of time, I want to ask you about two
    specific, if we have enough time.
        First, the Trump Tower. So you were negotiating for this.
    As you said, it was to be the tallest building in Europe. In
    your guilty plea with the special counsel, you quote, say, it
    quotes, ``Cohen asked Individual 1" -- is that President Trump?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. DeSaulnier. OK. ``--about the possibility of President
    Trump traveling to Russia in connection with the Moscow project
    and asked a senior campaign official about potential business
    travel to Russia.''
        When did this conversation happen? Do you recall?
        Mr. Cohen. Early on in the campaign.
        Mr. DeSaulnier. And who was the campaign official?
        Mr. Cohen. Corey Lewandowski.
        Mr. DeSaulnier. What did you discuss in this meeting?
        Mr. Cohen. The possibility of which dates that Mr. Trump
    would have availability if, in fact, that we were going to go
    over to Russia to take a look at the project. Unfortunately --
    I'm sorry, sir?
        Mr. DeSaulnier. So go ahead. Sorry.
        Mr. Cohen. Unfortunately, it never came to fruition because
    we were never successful in getting the first prong of what I
    needed, which was ownership or control over a piece of
    property. And until such time, there was no reason to come up
    with a date.
        But when I first received the information request to go to
    Russia what I decided to do is I spoke to Mr. Trump about it.
    He told me to speak to Corey and see what dates might be
    available if I got the information I needed.
        Mr. DeSaulnier. So it stopped because of appearances, or
    did it stop because the parties decided not to pursue it?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm so sorry, I don't understand your question.
        Mr. DeSaulnier. So why did the pursuit of the Trump Tower
    that Mr. Trump has now said, of course, he pursued it, because
    he thought he might be going back into the development
    business, why was the reason that the deal stopped?
        Mr. Cohen. Because he won the Presidency.
        Mr. DeSaulnier. OK. So in that interim period of time, you
    must admit it looks troubling that now that we know what
    foreign influence was attempting to do, whether there was
    collusion or not, it certainly appears troubling that you were
    -- Mr. Trump was part of this negotiation at the same time,
    what we know, perhaps separately, that the Russians were
    engaged in our election.
        Mr. Cohen. Well, I don't know about them being engaged in
    the election. I can only talk for myself. Here I would say to
    Mr. Trump, in response to his question, ``What's going on with
    Russia?'' is I'm still waiting for documents. And then that
    night at a rally, he would turn around and do his battle cry of
    no Russia, no collusion, no involvement, witch hunt.
        Mr. DeSaulnier. OK. On a separate subject but somewhat
    related, on January 17 of this year The Wall Street Journal
    published a story stating that your hired John Gauger, the
    owner of a consulting company who works for Liberty University
    in Virginia, to rig at least two online polls related to Donald
    Trump.
        Did you hire him?
        Mr. Cohen. Those were back in, I believe, 2015?
        Mr. DeSaulnier. 2014.
        Mr. Cohen. 2014.
        Mr. DeSaulnier. 2014. So you did hire him?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, I spoke with Mr. Gauger about manipulating
    these online polls.
        Mr. DeSaulnier. And did he use bots to manipulate the poll?
        Mr. Cohen. He used algorithms. And if that includes bots,
    then the answer is yes.
        Mr. DeSaulnier. Yes, that's accurate.
        Did the President have any involvement?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. DeSaulnier. In directing you to do this?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. DeSaulnier. What were the results of the poll?
        Mr. Cohen. Exactly where we wanted them to be. In the CNBC
    poll we came in at No. 9. And the Drudge Report, he was top of
    the Drudge Report as well, poll.
        Mr. DeSaulnier. OK.
        Mr. Cohen. Please understand also, the CNBC poll, it was
    called The Contenders, and it was the top 250 people that they
    named. And it was supposed to be the top ten most influential
    people.
        Mr. DeSaulnier. Let me just finish with earlier today you
    directed a comment to my colleagues, and I'm quoting, so
    correct me if I got this wrong. You said: The more people who
    follow Mr. Trump, the more people will be where I am.
        Is it your expectation that people in the administration
    will end up where you are?
        Mr. Cohen. Sadly, if they follow blindly, like I have, I
    think the answer is yes.
        Mr. DeSaulnier. Thank you.
        Mr. Cummings. The gentleman's time has expired.
        Mr. Steube.
        Mr. Steube. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        When I ran for Congress I talked about how Washington was
    broken, but I certainly did not expect the level of political
    gamesmanship, partisanship, and sheer stagnation of policies
    that would improve the lives of Americans that I'm witnessing
    today.
        It is terribly disappointing to me that this committee and
    its chairman chose to spend our time in questioning an
    individual that has zero probative value and zero credibility
    instead of spending our limited time focusing on improving the
    lives of Americans, creating jobs, or streamlining the
    functioning of our Federal Government.
        Yet here we are taking testimony from a convicted liar, and
    not someone who has just lied to his clients or family or
    friends, but testimony from an individual who deliberately and
    premeditatedly lied to this body. He lied to Congress through
    false statements and written statements. He lied to Congress
    through his testimony. He then amplified his false statements
    by releasing and repeating his lies to the public, including
    the other potential witnesses.
        Yet now we on this committee and the American people are
    expected to believe Mr. Cohen's testimony. I don't know a juror
    in America that would believe anything Mr. Cohen says given his
    past actions and lies.
        Mr. Cohen, you stood before multiple congressional
    committees before today and raised your right hand and swore an
    oath to be honest. Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. That is correct.
        Mr. Steube. And you lied to those congressional committees.
    Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. Previously?
        Mr. Steube. Correct.
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, sir.
        Mr. Steube. You stated that Trump never directed you to lie
    to Congress. Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. That's correct.
        Mr. Steube. Therefore, you lied to Congress on your own
    accord and then admitted to lying to Congress, correct?
        Mr. Cohen. I have already stated my piece on that. I knew
    what he wanted me to do. I was staying on party line.
        Mr. Steube. But he never directed you to lie to Congress?
        Mr. Cohen. He did not use those words, no.
        Mr. Steube. In your evidence that you provided this
    committee a mere 2 hours before the hearing started were
    payments paid made to you by Mr. Trump, correct?
        Mr. Cohen. Amongst other things, yes.
        Mr. Steube. Yet other than your testimony here today
    there's absolutely no proof that those specific payments were
    for those specific purposes. Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. It's my testimony that the check that I produced
    as part of this testimony, the $35,000 and then the second
    check that's signed by Allen Weisselberg and Don Trump, Jr.,
    were 2 checks out of the 11 that were meant for the
    reimbursement of the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.
        Mr. Steube. So in your testimony, on page 13, you claim,
    and I quote, ``Mr. Trump directed me to use my own personal
    funds from a home equity line of credit to avoid any money
    being tracked back to him that could negatively impact his
    campaign.'' Do you have any proof of this direction?
        Mr. Cohen. Just the payment, sir.
        Mr. Steube. So no email?
        Mr. Cohen. Mr. Trump doesn't have email.
        Mr. Steube. So no recording?
        Mr. Cohen. I do not have recordings, no.
        Mr. Steube. No text message?
        Mr. Cohen. Mr. Trump doesn't text message.
        Mr. Steube. So no direction other than your testimony today
    that that's what the payment was for?
        Mr. Cohen. And the fact that I paid on his behalf, at his
    direction, the money to Keith Davidson's IOLA account. You're
    right, there's no other documentation I have.
        Mr. Steube. So nothing that you produced as part of your
    exhibits proved that President Trump directed you in any way to
    make that payment?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't even know how to answer that, sir.
        Mr. Steube. Well, it's pretty simple. There's nothing in
    the evidence that shows, in the exhibits that you provided
    today, that show that Trump directed you to make those
    payments.
        Mr. Cohen. Other than the nondisclosure agreement that has
    been seized by government authorities and is widely shown. I
    don't believe there's anybody out there that believes that I
    just decided to pay $130,000 on his behalf.
        Mr. Steube. Well, you were his attorney for over 10 years.
        Mr. Cohen. That doesn't mean that I'd pay $130,00.
        Mr. Steube. Well, it doesn't also mean that he wasn't
    paying you for representation of counsel.
        Mr. Cohen. OK.
        Mr. Steube. How did President Trump even know you had a
    HELOC?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm so sorry, sir?
        Mr. Steube. How did President Trump even know had you a
    HELOC?
        Mr. Cohen. Because we discussed it. Because I told him the
    same thing, that I didn't want my wife to find out about it.
        And one additional. Rudy Giuliani himself came out and
    expressed that Mr. Trump reimbursed me for the money that was
    spent to pay Stormy Daniels.
        Mr. Steube. And did you tell Chris Cuomo that you had no
    access to Mr. Trump during October and November 2016?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm sorry, I don't know what you're referring
    to.
        Mr. Steube. Your interview with Chris Cuomo.
        Mr. Cohen. I would need to see the document.
        Mr. Steube. Did you also tell Chris Cuomo that you made
    these payments without telling Mr. Trump because you wanted to
    protect Mr. Trump?
        Mr. Cohen. And I was protecting Mr. Trump.
        Mr. Steube. And you told him that you made these payments
    without telling him?
        Mr. Cohen. When I said that--if that's what I said to Chris
    Cuomo, yes, that was my line.
        Mr. Steube. And if this unsupported claim was true then it
    would be part of an ongoing investigation as evidence of a
    crime and the Department of Justice would not let you discuss
    it during your testimony here today. Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't know.
        Chairman Cummings. The gentleman's time has expired.
        Did you answer?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, I did want to say one last thing.
        Not only did I lie to the American people, I lied to the
    First Lady, when the President called me and I was sitting in a
    car with a friend of mine and he had me speak to her and
    explain to the First Lady.
        So the answer is you're not accurate, and I don't feel good
    about any of this, and this was not my intention.
        Sorry.
        Chairman Cummings. Mrs. Lawrence.
        Mrs. Lawrence. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        I just want to put on the record, as being a Black American
    and having endured the public comments of racism from the
    sitting President, as being a Black person, I can only imagine
    what's being said in private. And to prop up one member of our
    entire race of Black people and say that that nullifies that is
    totally insulting. And in this environment of expecting a
    President to be inclusive and to look at his administration
    speaks volumes.
        So I have some questions. I want to talk to you about this
    intimidation of witness. Mr. Cohen, you were initially
    scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee on
    February the 7th, but your legal team delayed your testimony,
    quoting ongoing threats against your family from the President
    and attorney Giuliani. Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, ma'am.
        Mrs. Lawrence. And then, on November 29, after you admitted
    that the President's negotiations over a real estate project in
    Russia continued well through the summer before the 2016
    election, President Trump called you, quote, ``a weak person''
    and accused you of lying.
        And then, on December 16, 2018, after you disclosed that it
    was the President who directed you to arrange hush money
    payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal to conceal his
    extramarital affairs, he called you, the President of the
    United States, a rat.
        Mr. Cohen, why do you feel or believe that the President is
    repeatedly attacking you? You are stating that you feel
    intimidated, asking us to protect you, following your
    cooperation with law enforcement.
        Mr. Cohen. When you have access to 60-plus million people
    that follow you on social media and you have the ability within
    which to spark some action by individuals that follow him, and
    from his own words that he can walk down Fifth Avenue, shoot
    someone, and get away with it, it's never comfortable when the
    President of the United States----
        Mrs. Lawrence. What do you think he can do to you?
        Mr. Cohen. A lot. And it is not just him. It's those people
    that follow him and his rhetoric.
        Mrs. Lawrence. What is a lot?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't know. I don't walk with my wife if we go
    to a restaurant or we go somewhere, I don't walk with my
    children, I make them go before me, because I have fear. And it
    is the same fear that I had before when he initially decided to
    drop that tweet in my cell phone.
        I receive some, and I'm sure you'll understand, I receive
    some tweets, I receive some Facebook Messenger, all sorts of
    social media attacks upon me, whether it's to private direct
    message, that I have had to turn over to Secret Service,
    because they are the most vile, disgusting statements that
    anyone can ever receive. And when it starts to affect your
    children, that's when it really affects you.
        Mrs. Lawrence. On January 20, 2019, Mr. Giuliani called
    your father-in-law, quote, ``a criminal'' and said that he may
    have ties to organized crime.
        Mr. Cohen, do you believe that the President and Mr.
    Giuliani publicly targeted your father-in-law as an effort to
    intimidate you? Can you elaborate, why is your father-in-law
    being pulled into this?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't know the answer to that. My father-in-
    law was in the clothing business, came to this country because
    in 1972-73 the expulsion of Jews from the Ukraine. He came here
    to this country. He worked hard, and he is now enjoying his
    retirement.
        Never in my life did I think that Mr. Trump would do
    something so disgraceful, and he is attacking him because he
    knows I care about my family. And to hurt me, he is trying to
    hurt them.
        Interestingly enough, my father-in-law's biggest
    investments happen to be in a Trump property. So it just
    doesn't make any sense to me.
        Mrs. Lawrence. I want to be clear, any efforts to prevent a
    witness from testifying in front of Congress is against the
    law. I want to be real clear about that. And as the chairman
    has said, retaliating against witnesses and threatening their
    family and members is a textbook mob tactic that does not
    benefit the President of the United States or this country.
        And I want to be on the record, this hearing is not about
    discrediting the President. It is about the oath of office that
    we take as Members of Congress to have checks and balances and
    to meet the laws and the policies of this country to serve.
        Thank you, and I yield back.
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Roy.
        Mr. Roy. Mr. Cohen, I, too, want to offer my heartfelt
    thoughts for your family and what they're going through. I know
    it's tough. And for your time here today. I know it's tough for
    you to stand here in front of this committee.
        The chairman suggested you volunteered to come here. You
    testified that you were asked to come here. Is it correct you
    were asked to come here, yes or no?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Roy. The combined total of the crimes for which you
    were sentenced would bring a maximum of 70 years, yes or no?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Roy. Yet you are going to prison for three years, yes
    or no?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Roy. The prosecutors of the Southern District of New
    York say: To secure loans, Cohen falsely understated the amount
    of debt he was carrying and omitted information from his
    personal financial statements to induce a bank to lend on
    incomplete information. You told my colleague here today that
    you did not committee bank fraud.
        Not parsing different statutes, which I understand could be
    only for clarify, are you or are you not guilty of making false
    statements to a financial institution, yes or no?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, I pled guilty.
        Mr. Roy. You said clearly to Mr. Cloud and Mr. Jordan that
    the Southern District of New York lawyers were being untruthful
    in characterizing your desire to work in the administration. Do
    you say again that the lawyers of the Southern District of New
    York are being untruthful in making that characterization, yes
    or no?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm saying that's not accurate.
        Mr. Roy. OK. So you're saying they're being untruthful.
        Mr. Cohen. I'm not using the word untruthful, that's yours.
    I'm saying that that's not accurate. I did not want a role or a
    title in the administration.
        Mr. Roy. I'm sure the lawyers----
        Mr. Cohen. I got the title that I wanted.
        Mr. Roy. I'm sure the lawyers at the SDNY appreciate that
    distinction.
        Question, you testified today you have never been to Prague
    and have never been to the Czech Republic. Do you stand behind
    that statement?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, I do.
        Mr. Roy. I offer into the record an article in known
    conservative news magazine Mother Jones by David Corn in which
    he says he reviewed his notes from a phone call with Mr. Cohen,
    and Mr. Cohen said, quote, ``I haven't been to Prague in 14
    years. I was in Prague for one afternoon 14 years ago,'' end
    quote.
        Question, you, as my friend Mr. Armstrong rightly inquired,
    offered to the committee taped information involving clients
    with the bat of an eye. Do you stand behind that, yes or no?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm sorry, I don't understand. You said it so
    fast.
        Mr. Roy. You, as my friend Mr. Armstrong rightly inquired,
    offered to this committee taped information involving your
    clients with the bat of an eye. Do you stand behind that offer?
        Mr. Cohen. If the chairman asks me, I'll take it under
    advisement now, and it is not a problem in terms of attorney-
    client privilege, yes, I will turn it over.
        Mr. Roy. You, as my friend Mr. Meadows pointed out, misled
    this committee even today in a written submission that
    contradicted your testimony. You have suggested you are going
    to review that. Are you going to review it in our next break to
    correct the record, yes or no?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Roy. Question, you helped out the President's campaign
    or were involved in the campaign as a representative, as a
    spokesman, even in your words today. It was your idea for the
    campaign dating back to 2011. Is that accurate, yes or no?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Roy. 2011 is a year that sticks in my head, for it's
    the year my daughter was born, and it was the year I was
    diagnosed with cancer. I was not then pushing for Donald Trump
    to be President. I was fighting cancer.
        Even in 2016, I was publicly backing a certain Republican
    from Texas. Some might guess who it was. But you, you were all
    in. And you either wanted Donald Trump to be your President
    because it would be good for the country or you did it for your
    own personal advancement or both. Sort of the two options.
        Real Americans in my district and across the country wanted
    the President to be President not in any way because he's
    perfect, but rather because they are sick and tired of this
    hellhole. They supported the President because they are sick
    and tired of the games that we are seeing here today. They are
    sick and tired of politicians who refuse to secure the border,
    balance our budget, restore healthcare freedom, and then get
    the hell out of their way so they can lead their life. They are
    mystified that we amass about $100 million of debt per hour,
    which means we have blown through $300, $400, $450 million
    during this charade in amassing debt--$450 million. They're
    sick and tired of a Democrat Party that willfully ignores
    cartel-driven asylum crisis on our border that endangers
    American citizens and the migrants who seek to come here.
        Just yesterday in Eagle Pass, Texas, Border Patrol agents
    arrested an MS-13 gang member. In McAllen, Texas, Federal
    authorities are offering a reward for a man tied to Mexico's
    Gulf Cartel for his alleged roles in various murders,
    kidnappings, and home invasions in south Texas. A mass Honduran
    migrant rush at the Texas border forced brief closure of the
    Laredo port.
        This is this week. This is what we're ignoring. This is not
    what we are doing for the American people while we engage in
    this charade. This is not what the American people send us here
    to do. This is an embarrassment for our country.
        I talked to my beautiful wife back in Dripping Springs,
    Texas, just before the hearing. I said, ``Don't bother
    watching.'' She said, as I roughly expected, ``Don't worry, I
    won't. I have more important things to do.'' And she, like the
    rest of the American people, have a hell of a lot more
    important things to do than to watch this. I said, ``Amen,
    darling.''
        I can't help but think that that is what the majority of
    the American people are thinking while watching this
    unbelievable circus.
        I yield back.
        Chairman Cummings. Ms. Plaskett.
        Ms. Plaskett. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        I have got a lot to do, as well. I have got houses and
    schools to help rebuild in the Virgin Islands, expansion of
    voting rights, educational opportunities, criminal justice
    reform. Thank God the Democratic majority can walk and chew gum
    at the same time. So we're here with you right now.
        Mr. Cohen, you learned well in the 10 years that you worked
    with Donald Trump. What was your position with the GOP in the
    -- up to eight months ago?
        Mr. Cohen. I was vice chair of the RNC Finance Committee.
        Ms. Plaskett. You were vice chair of finance of the
    Republican National Committee, right?
        Mr. Cohen. Correct.
        Ms. Plaskett. OK.
        Mr. Cohen. I do want to say, I was a Democrat until Steve
    Wynn found out I was a Democrat and made me switch parties.
        Ms. Plaskett. That would be the smart thing to do.
        Mr. Cohen. He said it wasn't right for a Democrat to be the
    vice chair.
        Ms. Plaskett. Good. Let's get to--I only have a little bit
    of time.
        On behalf of the many Members here who have expressed to
    your family our apologies to your family, but I want to
    apologize for the inappropriate comments and tweets that have
    been made by other Members of this body. And as a former
    prosecutor and as former counsel on House Ethics, I think that
    at the very least there should be a referral to the Ethics
    Committee of witness intimidation or tampering under U.S.C.
    1512 of my colleague Matt Gaetz, and it may be possibly him
    being referred for a criminal prosecution. So I want to put
    that on the record.
        On May 2, 2018, the President's personal attorney, Rudy
    Giuliani, who was his personal attorney like you, appeared on
    FOX News and referred to the President's reimbursement to you
    for the $130,000 payment for Stephanie Clifford as part of a
    retainer.
        And on May 3, 2018, one day after Mr. Giuliani's
    appearance, the President tweeted, and I quote, ``Mr. Cohen, an
    attorney, received a monthly retainer not from the campaign and
    having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered
    into through reimbursement a private contract between two
    parties known as a nondisclosure agreement or NDA.''
        The Office of Government Ethics, which is the agency which
    the Federal Government with responsibility over what the
    President needs to report publicly about his assets, was
    puzzled by this, it seems, and they were skeptical that a
    retainer was actually in place and asked to see the retainer
    agreement on call of May 8 with the President.
        The President's personal counsel, Sheri Dillon, replied
    that she would, and I quote, ``not permit OGE staff to read the
    agreement because it is privileged.'' Ms. Dillon would not even
    let OGE staff come to her office to review the retainer
    agreement.
        Mr. Cohen, in a court filing made in August of last year
    Federal prosecutors stated that, quote, ``In truth and in fact,
    there was no such retainer agreement.'' Mr. Cohen, did you ever
    have a retainer agreement in place with the President for the
    payment to Ms. Clifford?
        Mr. Cohen. No.
        Ms. Plaskett. So was Mr. Giuliani's statement inaccurate?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Ms. Plaskett. Was Ms. Dillon's statement about the retainer
    agreement inaccurate?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm sorry, Ms. Dillon's statement is?
        Ms. Plaskett. About the retainer agreement, is it
    inaccurate?
        Mr. Cohen. And her statement is what?
        Ms. Plaskett. And her statement to them was, quote, ``not
    to permit OGE staff to read the agreement because it is
    privileged.''
        Mr. Cohen. There was no agreement.
        Ms. Plaskett. And is the President's tweet or his statement
    accurate?
        Mr. Cohen. And I'm sorry, one more time?
        Ms. Plaskett. And his statement was, Mr. Cohen, an
    attorney, received a monthly retainer not from the campaign and
    having nothing to do with the campaign from which he entered
    into through a reimbursement.
        Mr. Cohen. That's not accurate.
        Ms. Plaskett. You have mentioned some individuals to my
    colleague from New York, Mr. Connolly, and also in your
    testimony about Mr. Weisselberg and other individuals, Ms.
    Rhona. Who are those individuals? Are they with The Trump
    Organization?
        Mr. Cohen. They are.
        Ms. Plaskett. Are there other people that we should be
    meeting with?
        Mr. Cohen. So Allen Weisselberg is the chief financial
    officer in The Trump Organization.
        Ms. Plaskett. You've got to quickly give us as many names
    as we can so we can get to them.
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, ma'am.
        Ms. Plaskett. Is Ms. Rhona, what is Ms. Rhona's----
        Mr. Cohen. Rhona Graff is the--Mr. Trump's executive
    assistant.
        Ms. Plaskett. And would she be able to corroborate many of
    the statements that you have made here?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes. She was--her office is directly next to
    his, and she's involved in a lot that went on.
        Ms. Plaskett. OK. Mr. Cohen, when the President's lawyers
    were having the discussions with the Office of Government
    Ethics in 2018 did they reach out to you to talk with you about
    these payments?
        Mr. Cohen. No, ma'am.
        Ms. Plaskett. And what did you--did you share anything with
    them otherwise in any other conversation?
        Mr. Cohen. I do not recall, no.
        Ms. Plaskett. Can the committee obtain more information
    about these facts by obtaining testimony and documents from the
    White House, The Trump Organization, and the President's
    attorneys?
        Mr. Cohen. I believe so.
        Ms. Plaskett. Mr. Chair, I think that those are the
    individuals that we should be speaking with. And I yield back
    at this time.
        Chairman Cummings. The committee will now stand in recess
    again. We will come back -- listen up -- 35 minutes, 35 minutes
    after the last vote begins.
        So for Mr. Cohen, Mr. Cohen, we are talking about probably
    about an hour or so.
        Mr. Cohen. Thank you so much.
        [Recess.]
        Chairman Cummings. Ladies and gentlemen, we will come to
    order.
        Mr. Cohen, I want to finalize this issue relating to your
    truth in testimony form. The form requires you to list your
    contracts or payments originating from a foreign government,
    not from all foreign entities.
        We said we would give you a chance to consult with your
    attorneys. Have you done that, and do you have any additional
    information?
        Mr. Cohen. So my four attorneys continue to believe, as
    they did before, that the language of the truth in testimony
    form, which I was given and signed just right before this
    hearing and which requires disclosure of any contracts or
    payments from foreign governments in the last two years, did
    not apply to my work for BTA Bank, which is a Kazakh-owned
    entity.
        They advised that had entities been intended for disclosure
    that word would have been in the disclosure definition.
    However, if the committee's counsel has a different view, that
    I should disclose my contract with BTA Bank, we'd be willing to
    do that.
        Chairman Cummings. All right. Now----
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Chairman?
        Chairman Cummings. Let me finish.
        Mr. Meadows. Sure.
        Chairman Cummings. I want to understand clearly. You sought
    the advice of your counsel. Is that right?
        Mr. Cohen. That's correct.
        Chairman Cummings. And your counsel advised you to say what
    you just said. Is that right?
        Mr. Cohen. That's correct.
        Chairman Cummings. And you know that to be the truth. Is
    that right?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, sir.
        Chairman Cummings. I will yield to the gentleman from North
    Carolina.
        Mr. Meadows. I thank the chairman for his courtesy.
        Mr. Chairman, instead of making points of order and going
    back and forth on this, perhaps a way to solve this is for the
    chairman to request Mr. Cohen give to this committee all the
    foreign payments that he has received over the last two years,
    whether they're an entity or a government. Because we have a
    strong belief, Mr. Chairman, there's over $900,000 that came
    from the Government of Kazakhstan on behalf of Mr. Cohen, and
    it is either the truth, the whole truth, or nothing but the
    truth.
        And the rules, Mr. Chairman, really look at foreign
    payments that come from or with foreign governments. And the
    bank he is talking about is owned 81 percent by the Kazakhstan
    Government.
        Chairman Cummings. Reclaiming my time, reclaiming my time,
    and then we're going to move on.
        What I will take -- first of all, let me be clear, I said
    to Mr. Cohen that if he came in here and lied I would nail him
    to the cross.
        Didn't I, did I tell you that?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, you did more than once.
        Chairman Cummings. All right. So if there's any ambiguity I
    want that to be cleared up.
        I have no problem in working with you to make sure that's
    straightened out, because I don't want it to be a thing where
    he thinks one thing, we think one thing. And we can clear that
    up, all right?
        All right. We have a number of members that have been
    waiting.
        Mr. Jordan. But just on that subject -- thank you, Mr.
    Chairman.
        Chairman Cummings. I yield.
        Mr. Jordan. I don't think we should limit to just it the
    BTA Bank which has the affiliation with Kazakhstan. I think we
    should also look at Korea Aerospace Industries, one of his
    other clients, and any other client that's foreign that may
    have some connection to that respective country's government. I
    hope him and his attorneys look at all those and we get the
    form exactly right as Mr. Meadows wants.
        Chairman Cummings. Reclaiming my time. We will take that
    certainly under advisement. I am a man of my word. We will do--
    we will work with you and see what we can do to come up with
    that. I don't think that it's an unreasonable request.
        Mr. Khanna. Hello? Mr. Khanna.
        Mr. Khanna. Yes.
        Mr. Cohen, I want to focus my questions on the smoking gun
    document you have provided this committee. This document is
    compelling evidence of Federal and State crimes, including
    financial fraud.
        You provided this committee with a check from President
    Donald J. Trump's revocable trust account, which is marked as
    exhibit 5B. It is a check for $35,000, and it is dated March
    17, 2017, after the President took office. It is right now on
    the screen. Do you see it, sir?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, sir.
        Mr. Khanna. To be clear, the Trump revocable trust is the
    trust the President set up to hold his assets after he became
    President. Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. I believe so.
        Mr. Khanna. Do you know why you were paid from the trust as
    opposed to the President's personal account?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't know the answer to that.
        Mr. Khanna. Did you think it was odd that he paid you once
    from his personal account and then he's paying you through the
    scheme of a trust?
        Mr. Cohen. I'll be honest, I was just happy to get the
    check.
        Mr. Khanna. Today you testified that the check was signed
    by Donald Trump, Jr., and The Trump Organization CFO, Allen
    Weisselberg. Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. That is correct.
        Mr. Khanna. According to the criminal charges against you,
    you sent monthly invoices containing false information to an
    individual identified as executive one. Weisselberg is
    Executive 1, correct?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Khanna. The criminal charge against you then states
    that Executive 1 forwarded your invoice to someone referred to
    as Executive 2. Presumably Donald Trump, Jr., who is signing
    this check, is Executive 2, correct?
        Mr. Cohen. I believe so.
        Mr. Khanna. As Federal prosecutors laid out in their
    criminal charges, payments like this check resulted in numerous
    false statements in the books and records of The Trump
    Organization. And it's important for the American public to
    understand there's nothing to do with collusion, this is
    financial fraud, garden variety financial fraud. It was
    disguised as a payment for legal services to you, but this was
    not a payment for legal services, was it, Mr. Cohen?
        Mr. Cohen. No, sir.
        Mr. Khanna. It could give rise to serious State and Federal
    criminal liability if a corporation is cooking its books.
        Based on your testimony today, Donald Trump, Jr., and Allen
    Weisselberg directed this payment to you and approved this
    payment. Is that right?
        Mr. Cohen. Mr. Trump initially acknowledged the obligation,
    the debt. Myself and Allen Weisselberg went back to his office,
    and I was instructed by Allen at the time that we were going to
    do this over 12 installments. And what he decided to do then
    was to have me send an invoice, in which case they can have a
    check cut. And then, yes, the answer would be yes to your
    followup.
        Mr. Khanna. And Donald Trump, Jr., obviously signed off on
    this?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes. Well, it would either be Eric Trump, Donald
    Trump, Jr., and/or Allen Weisselberg, but always Allen
    Weisselberg on the check.
        Mr. Khanna. And you think Executive 2 is Donald Trump, Jr.?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Khanna. They knew that this payment was false and
    illegal, correct?
        Mr. Cohen. I can't make that conclusion.
        Mr. Khanna. You told Representative Kelly that the
    President was aware of this scheme. Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. That's correct.
        Mr. Khanna. I just want the American public to understand
    the explosive nature of your testimony and this document. Are
    you telling us, Mr. Cohen, that the President directed
    transpection in conspiracy with Allen Weisselberg and his son,
    Donald Trump, Jr., as part of a civil -- criminal -- as part of
    a criminal conspiracy of financial fraud? Is that your
    testimony today?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Khanna. And do you know if this criminal financial
    scheme that the President, Allen Weisselberg, and Donald Trump,
    Jr., are involved in is being investigated by the Southern
    District of New York?
        Mr. Cohen. I'd rather not discuss that question because it
    could be part of an investigation that's currently ongoing.
        Mr. Khanna. But I just want the American public to
    understand that solely apart from Bob Mueller's investigation
    there is garden variety financial fraud, and your allegation
    and the explosive smoking gun document suggests that the
    President, his son, and his CFO may be involved in a criminal
    conspiracy. And isn't it true, Mr. Cohen, that this criminal
    conspiracy that involves four people, that there's only one
    person so far who has suffered the repercussions, and that's
    why you're in jail?
        Mr. Cohen. Will be going to jail, yes.
        Mr. Khanna. There are three other people, though, who were
    equally involved in this conspiracy.
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Mr. Khanna. Is that true?
        Mr. Cohen. It is true.
        Mr. Khanna. Thank you, Mr. Cohen.
        I yield back my time.
        Chairman Cummings. Thank you very much.
        Mr. Gomez.
        Mr. Gomez. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
        Mr. Cohen, I'm going to tackle the President's tax returns.
        During the 2016 campaign you said you personally wouldn't,
    quote, ``allow him to release those returns until the audits
    are over,'' unquote.
        For the record, nothing prevents individuals from sharing
    their own tax returns even while under audit by the IRS. Mr.
    Cohen, do you know whether President Trump's tax returns were
    really under audit by the IRS in 2016?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't know the answer. I asked for a copy of
    the audit so that I could use it in terms of my statements to
    the press, and I was never able to obtain one.
        Mr. Gomez. OK. So do you have any inside knowledge about
    what was in the President's tax returns that he refused to
    release?
        Mr. Cohen. I do not.
        Mr. Gomez. Can you give us any insight into what the real
    reason is that the President has refused to release his tax
    returns?
        Mr. Cohen. The statements that he had said to me is that
    what he didn't want was to have an entire group of think tanks
    that are tax experts run through his tax return and start
    ripping it to pieces and then he'll end up in an audit and
    he'll ultimately have taxable consequences, penalties, and so
    on.
        Mr. Gomez. So that's an interesting point, that basically
    he said he didn't want to release his tax returns because he
    might end up in an audit. So could you presume from that
    statement that he wasn't under audit?
        Mr. Cohen. I presume that he is not under audit.
        Mr. Gomez. And the reason why I bring this up, because I'm
    also the only Democrat on this committee that also serves on
    the Committee of Ways and Means. That's the chief tax-writing
    committee in the House of Representatives, and it is the only
    committee in the House of Representatives that has jurisdiction
    to request an American's tax return, and that includes the
    President of the United States.
        My constituents need to know whether the President has
    financial ties that are causing him to protect his own bottom
    line rather than the best interests of this country. Can he be
    blackmailed because of his financial and business ventures,
    including by a foreign government?
        And I know the opposition, the first thing they're going to
    ask or say is that he released his financial disclosure form.
    But I believe that there's other things we can learn from his
    taxes.
        Do you have any idea what we can learn in his tax returns
    if we actually--we got our hands on them?
        Mr. Cohen. No, I have actually--I have seen them, I just
    have never gone through them. They're quite long.
        Mr. Gomez. Quite long.
        One of the things I also find ironic is the way they're
    kind of attacking you is to undermine your credibility is--one
    of the ways--is by saying that you committed bank fraud and tax
    evasion. And the reason why it is a big deal is that it really
    goes down to a person's character when it comes to taxes. But
    yet, the Republican minority has never asked to see his taxes,
    right? Something that for 40 years, Democrats and Republicans
    alike, have released their tax returns to prove to the American
    people that they didn't have financial interests that would be
    leverageable by a foreign government, but this minority refuses
    to ask for his tax returns.
        I also want to kind of go on. I'm noticing a pattern, I'm
    noticing a pattern about the President and those in his inner
    circle. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team has indicted or
    received guilty pleas from 34 people and three companies that
    we know of, the latest being long-term Trump adviser Roger
    Stone. That group includes six former Trump advisers.
        It appears that the President has a fondness for entrusting
    those who will, one, lie for him, two, break the law for him,
    three, cheat the system for him. Essentially he wants to
    surround himself with people who are just like him. Would you
    agree with that statement?
        Mr. Cohen. From the facts and circumstances, it appears so.
        Mr. Gomez. Mr. Cohen, the American people have a lot of
    questions when it comes to this President and his conduct, when
    he went to Helsinki and he bowed before Vladimir Putin, and
    nobody can really understand why he acts the way he acts. And
    we believe that the way we get those answers is really looking
    at everybody that surrounds him, who he has been associated
    with, and his tax returns, because that is the only way that we
    can get down to the bottom line.
        Thank you, and I yield back.
        Chairman Cummings. Thank you.
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Chairman? Mr. Chairman, I have a unanimous
    consent request.
        Chairman Cummings. All right. Go ahead.
        Mr. Meadows. I ask unanimous consent that we read into--or
    for the record a tweet from Dr. Darrell Scott, which says,
    ``Michael Cohen asked, no, begged me repeatedly, to ask POTUS
    to give him a job in the administration. He is still lying
    under oath.'' I ask unanimous consent.
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection.
        [The information referred to follows:]
        [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Mr. Meadows. I have one more from Bo Dietl: ``Getting sick
    watching these hearings. I know Michael Cohen personally for
    many years and he told me several times that he was very angry
    and upset that he didn't get a post in the White House and that
    he,'' quote, ``'would do what he has to do now to protect his
    family,' '' close quote. I ask that be----
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection.
        [The information referred to follows:]
        [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Mr. Jordan. Mr. Chairman?
        Mr. Meadows. I thank you.
        Mr. Jordan. Mr. Chairman, two quick ones.
        Chairman Cummings. And then, if we have got other ones,
    we're going to do you, Mr. Ranking Member, and then we'll do
    the other ones they send, because I have things, too, that I
    want to get in.
        Mr. Jordan. I ask unanimous consent that an article in
    Salon magazines written by Stanley Brand, former House counsel
    to Tip O'Neill, title of the article is, ``Oversight committee
    session with Michael Cohen looks like an illegitimate show
    hearing.''
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection, so ordered.

        [The article referenced above is available at: https://
    theconversation.com/oversight-committee-session-with-michael-
    cohen-looks-like-an-illegitimate-show-hearing-112253 ,
    reprinted in Salon Magazine]

        Mr. Jordan. I ask unanimous consent that a letter that Mr.
    Meadows and I sent to you, the chairman, requesting that you
    call Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to testify at this
    hearing also be part of the record. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cummings. It is part of the record.
        [The information referred to follows:]
        [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Mr. Cohen. Mr. Chairman, can I respond?
        Chairman Cummings. Just one second, all right?
        The article that Mr. Brand, I just want to deal with this
    one right away. When we saw that article, Mr. Ranking Member,
    we knew that it was inaccurate. I mean, just on basics, I mean,
    that the case is that Mr. Brand's views are definitely
    distinguishable for what's going on here.
        And so we got Irvin B. Nathan, former general counsel of
    the House from 2007 to 2010, and he says in short, the
    committee has ample jurisdiction and responsibility to hear and
    consider the upcoming voluntary testimony of Mr. Cohen. That's
    dated February 25, 2019.
        And I want to enter that into the record. Without
    objection, so ordered. Where are we?
        Ms. Ocasio-Cortez.
        Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
        Mr. Cohen, I would like to quickly pick up on some previous
    lines of questioning before getting into my own. So I may go a
    little quickly to get it all in in five minutes.
        First, my colleague from Vermont had asked you several
    questions about AMI, the parent company of the National
    Enquirer, and in that you mentioned a treasure trove, a, quote,
    treasurer trove of documents in David Pecker's office relating
    to information assembled from all these catch and kill
    operations against people who potentially had damaging
    information on the President. You also mentioned that the
    President was very concerned about the whereabouts of these
    documents and who possessed them.
        Does that treasure trove of documents still exist?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't know. I had asked David Pecker for them.
        Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. So you would say the person who knows
    the whereabouts of these documents would be David Pecker?
        Mr. Cohen. David Pecker, Barry Levine, or Dylan Howard.
        Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. OK. Thank you.
        Second, I want to ask a little bit about your conversation
    with my colleague from Missouri about asset inflation. To your
    knowledge, did the President ever provide inflated assets to an
    insurance company?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. Who else knows that the President did
    this?
        Mr. Cohen. Allen Weisselberg, Ron Lieberman, and Matthew
    Calamari.
        Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. And where would the committee find more
    information on this? Do you think we need to review his
    financial statements and his tax returns in order to compare
    them?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, and you would find it at The Trump Org.
        Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. Thank you very much.
        The last thing here. The Trump Golf organization currently
    has a golf course in my home borough of the Bronx, Trump Links.
    I drive past it every day going between The Bronx and Queens.
    In fact, The Washington Post reported on the Trump Links Bronx
    course in an article entitled ``Taxpayers Built This New York
    Golf Course and Trump Reaps the Rewards.''
        That article is where many New Yorkers and people in the
    country learned that taxpayers spent $127 million to build
    Trump Links in a, quote, ``generous deal allowing President
    Trump to keep almost every dollar that flows in on a golf
    course built with public funds.'' And this doesn't seem to be
    the only time the President has benefited at the expense of the
    public.
        Mr. Cohen, I want to ask you about your assertion that the
    President may have improperly devalued his assets to avoid
    paying taxes. According to an August 21, 2016, report by The
    Washington Post, while the President claimed in financial
    disclosure forms that Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter,
    Florida, was worth more than $50 million, he had reported
    otherwise to local tax authorities that the course was worth,
    quote, ``no more than $5 million.''
        Mr. Cohen, do you know whether this specific report is
    accurate?
        Mr. Cohen. It's identical to what he did at Trump National
    Golf Club at Briar Cliff Manor.
        Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. To your knowledge, was the President
    interested in reducing his local real estate bills, tax bills?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. And how did he do that?
        Mr. Cohen. What you do is you deflate the value of the
    asset, and then you put in a request to the tax department for
    a deduction.
        Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. Thank you.
        Now, in October 2018, The New York Times revealed that,
    quote, ``President Trump participated in dubious tax schemes
    during the 1990's, including instances of outright fraud that
    greatly increased the fortune he received from his parents.''
    It further stated for Mr. Trump, quote, ``He also helped
    formulate a strategy to undervalue his parents' real estate
    holdings by hundreds of millions of dollars on tax returns,
    sharply reducing his tax bill when those properties were
    transferred to him and his siblings.''
        Mr. Cohen, do you know whether that specific report is
    accurate?
        Mr. Cohen. I don't. I wasn't there in the 1990's.
        Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. Who would know the answer to those
    questions?
        Mr. Cohen. Allen Weisselberg.
        Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. And would it help for the committee to
    obtain Federal and State tax returns from the President and his
    company to address that discrepancy?
        Mr. Cohen. I believe so.
        Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. Thank you very much. I yield the rest of
    my time to the chair.
        Chairman Cummings. Ms. Pressley.
        Ms. Pressley. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        One more time, Mr. Chairman, I just want to thank you for
    your leadership and the way in which you comport yourself. And
    I know there are some that would have you believe that the more
    you say something the more true it is, but, in fact, this
    committee, thanks to your leadership and our Democratic
    majority, has been doing the work of the American people.
    Before this committee alone we looked at the issue of making
    election day a Federal holiday, reducing drug pricing, and
    pursued subpoenas to reunite families, and just recently,
    before we returned here, tried to pass a universal background
    check gun bill.
        So we are doing the business of the American people,
    including today. It has been said that the best sunlight--
    sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants. Electric
    light is the most efficient policeman. Well, let there be
    light, because the point of oversight is for us to pursue the
    trust, to pursue the truth and justice for the American people,
    to understand if lies, deceit, and corruption are threatening
    American democracy and indeed our safety.
        Mr. Chairman, charities should not be abused as personal
    piggy banks. It is both against the law and extremely unfair to
    charities that play by the rules. A line of questioning that we
    have not yet addressed and have been glaringly absent in
    tackling is that of the abuses of the Trump Foundation.
        Now, the President's charitable foundation agreed to
    dissolve in response to an ongoing investigation and lawsuit by
    the New York attorney general. The New York attorney general
    found what it called, quote, ``clear and repeated violations of
    State and Federal law, including, quote, repeated and willful
    self-dealing by the Trump administration''--my apologies, by
    the foundation.
        If I understand your opening statement correctly, in mid-
    2013 you arranged for a straw purchaser to bid $60,000 for a
    portrait of Mr. Trump painted by the artist William Quigley at
    a charity auction. Is that correct?
        Mr. Cohen. That's correct.
        Ms. Pressley. Why would the President want to bid up the
    price of something that he was ultimately paying for?
        Mr. Cohen. It was all about ego.
        Ms. Pressley. How was it paid for?
        Mr. Cohen. I believe it was paid for by a check from the
    trust.
        Ms. Pressley. An abuse. And again, you know, this is not a
    partisan pursuit here. I think ultimately what we're
    demonstrating is patriotism. This is about what is right and
    just for the American people.
        Did the straw purchaser purchase the painting and then the
    foundation funds reimbursed the straw purchaser? Can you
    explain the mechanics of that payment?
        Mr. Cohen. I'm not involved with the foundation.
        Ms. Pressley. OK. Did the President know what was
    happening?
        Mr. Cohen. Oh, yes.
        Ms. Pressley. And how did you know he knew what was
    happening?
        Mr. Cohen. Because he tasked me to find the straw bidder to
    ensure that his painting, which was going last in the auction,
    would go for the highest amount of any of the paintings that
    had been put on the auction block for the day.
        Ms. Pressley. And what happened to the painting?
        Mr. Cohen. I believe it's in one of the clubs.
        Ms. Pressley. Okay.
        According to the New York attorney general, in March 2014
    Mr. Trump again used the foundation to pay $10,000 for the
    winning bid on another portrait of Mr. Trump that ended up as
    decor in one of his golf courses in Miami.
        Mr. Cohen, are you familiar with that transaction?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Ms. Pressley. Are you aware of any other instances where
    the Trump Foundation was used to benefit the Trump family?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Ms. Pressley. Could you elaborate?
        Mr. Cohen. So there was a contract that I ended up creating
    on Mr. Trump's behalf for a Ukrainian oligarch by the name of
    Victor Pinchuk, and it was that Mr. Trump was asked to come and
    to participate in what was the Ukrainian-American economic
    forum.
        Unfortunately, he wasn't able to go, but I was able to
    negotiate 15 minutes by Skype where they would have a camera,
    very much like the television camera, very much like that one,
    and they would translate Mr. Trump to the questioner and then
    he would respond back.
        And I negotiated a fee of $150,000 for 15 minutes. I was
    directed by Mr. Trump to have the contract done in the name of
    the Donald J. Trump Foundation, as opposed to Donald J. Trump
    for services rendered.
        Ms. Pressley. Thank you.
        Any other abuses of the foundation that you would like to
    share? Again, it is against the law and again extremely unfair
    to charities that are playing by the rules.
        Mr. Cohen. Not at this time, but if I think of one I'll
    pass it along.
        Ms. Pressley. OK. And then for the balance of my time,
    would you agree that someone could deny rental units to African
    Americans, lead the birther movement, refer to the diaspora as
    shithole countries, and refer to White supremacists as fine
    people, have a Black friend, and still be racist?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Ms. Pressley. I agree.
        Chairman Cummings. The gentlelady's time has expired. You
    may answer the question.
        Mr. Cohen. I did. Yes.
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Chairman, I have two unanimous consent.
    Since we're finishing up, before we get done I want to go
    ahead.
        Chairman Cummings. Okay. Just give me one second.
        Mr. Meadows. Yes, sir.
        Chairman Cummings. I wanted to get to Ms. Tlaib and then
    I'll come to you, OK? They have been waiting here all day.
        Ms. Tlaib.
        Ms. Tlaib. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Thank you, all of you, for centering this committee on our
    sole purpose, is exposing the truth. And some of my colleagues
    can't handle the truth, and this is unfortunate because it's
    the center of what is protecting our country right now.
        The people at home are frustrated, Mr. Cohen, and they want
    criminal schemes to stop, especially those from the Oval
    Office.
        Mr. Cohen, I am upset and know that my residents feel the
    same way that a man you worked for for the past 10 years is
    using the most powerful position in the world to hurt our
    country solely for personal gain. We are upset that some of our
    colleagues here are so disconnected of what it means to have
    this President of the United States sending checks to cover
    bribe payments, not hush payments, bribe payments you made on
    his behalf, one in 2017 of March and another August 2017 after
    he was sworn in as President.
        They are upset that while my colleagues are trying to
    discredit your testimony by some of your own unlawful acts and
    lies, that they are disconnected with the fact that you were
    the personal lawyer for this President of the United States,
    that this President chose you as his legal counsel.
        My stance has always been the same, Mr. Chairman, based on
    the facts, not on future reports that we're all waiting on. My
    residents back home don't need a collusion clause with a
    foreign government to know this President, Individual 1, has
    disregarded the law of the land, the United States
    Constitution, and that he has misused his pardon powers.
        In the sentencing memo, Mr. Cohen, filed by the Federal
    prosecutors in New York in December of last year they stated,
    quote, ``In particular, and as Cohen himself has now admitted
    with respect to both payments, he acted in coordination with
    and at the direction of Individual 1.''
        Mr. Cohen, as you know, to President Donald J. Trump brand
    comes first, not the American people. Based on what you know
    now, based on what we know now, is that Individual 1 used his
    money, businesses, and platform to enrich himself, his brand,
    and in the process directed you, Mr. Cohen to commit multiple
    felonies, and you covered it up, correct?
        Mr. Cohen. That's correct.
        Ms. Tlaib. You called it protecting his brand, correct?
        Mr. Cohen. And him, as well.
        Ms. Tlaib. Mr. Cohen, with this, do you think the President
    of the United States is making decisions in the best interests
    of the American people?
        Mr. Cohen. No, I don't.
        Ms. Tlaib. Especially those you said that he used horrible
    words about, like African Americans, Muslim Americans, and
    immigrants?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes.
        Ms. Tlaib. Just to make a note, Mr. Chairman, just because
    someone has a person of color, a Black person working for them,
    does not mean they aren't racist. And it is insensitive that
    some would even say -- the fact that someone would actually use
    a prop, a Black woman in this Chamber, in this committee, is
    alone racist in itself.
        Donald Trump is setting a precedent----
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Chairman, I ask that her words be taken
    down.
        Ms. Tlaib. Donald Trump is setting a precedent -- I reclaim
    my time.
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Chairman----
        Ms. Tlaib. Donald Trump is setting a precedent----
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Chairman----
        Ms. Tlaib [continuing]. that the highest office can be
    attained through illegal activity----
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Chairman, the rules are clear.
        Ms. Tlaib [continuing]. cover up, and hold on to business
    assets to break campaign finance laws and constitutional
    clauses.
        What we have here, Mr. Chairman, is criminal conduct in the
    pursuit of the highest public office by Mr. Cohen and
    Individual 1. I hope that the gravity of this situation hits
    everyone in this body and in Congress and across this country.
        Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield the rest of my time.
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Chairman, I ask that her words, when she
    is referring to an individual Member of this body, be taken
    down and stricken from the record. I'm sure she didn't intend
    to do this. But if anyone knows my record as it relates, it
    should be you, Mr. Chairman.
        Mr. Jordan. Mr. Chairman, I would like -- I want the words
    read back.
        Chairman Cummings. No, no.
        Mr. Jordan. We want to know exactly what she said about my
    colleague.
        Chairman Cummings. Excuse me.
        Would you like to rephrase that statement, Ms. Tlaib?
        Ms. Tlaib. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I can actually read it
    from here.
        Just to make a note, Mr. Chairman, that just because
    someone has a person of color, a Black person working for them,
    does not mean they aren't racist. And it is insensitive that
    someone would even say racist -- say it is racist in itself and
    to use a Black woman as a prop to prove it otherwise.
        And I can submit this for the record. If a colleague is
    thinking that that's what I'm saying, I'm just saying that's
    what I believe to have happened. And as a person of color in
    this committee that's how I felt at that moment, and I wanted
    to express that.
        But I am not calling the gentleman, Mr. Meadows, a racist
    for doing so. I'm saying that in itself it is a racist act.
        Mr. Meadows. Well, I hope not, Mr. Chairman, because I need
    to be clear on this particular -- Mr. Chairman----
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Meadows, wait a minute.
        Mr. Meadows. I have defended you of -- with false----
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Meadows, I'm the chair.
        Mr. Meadows. Yes, sir, you are.
        Chairman Cummings. Thank you. I will clear this up.
        Now, Ms. Tlaib, is it--I want to make sure I understand.
    You did not -- you were not intending to call Mr. Meadows a
    racist. Is that right?
        Ms. Tlaib. No, Mr. Chairman, I do not call Mr. Meadows a
    racist.
        Chairman Cummings. Wait a minute. Hold on.
        Ms. Tlaib. I am trying as a person of color, Mr. Chairman,
    just to express myself and how I felt at that moment. And so
    just for the record, that's what was my intention.
        Chairman Cummings. All right.
        Is that all right, Mr. Meadows?
        Mr. Meadows. Mr. Chairman, there's nothing more personal to
    me than my relationship -- my nieces and nephews are people of
    color. Not many people know that. You know that, Mr. Chairman.
    And to indicate that I asked someone who is a personal friend
    of the Trump family, who has worked for him, who knows this
    particular individual, that she is coming in to be a prop? It
    is racist to suggest that I asked her to come in here for that
    reason.
        Mr. President--the President's own person, she is a family
    member, she loves this family. She came in because she felt
    like the President of the United States was getting falsely
    accused.
        And, Mr. Chairman, you and I have a personal relationship
    that's not based on color, and to even go down this direction
    is wrong, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cummings. First of all, I want to thank the
    gentleman for what you have stated. If there's anyone who is
    sensitive with regard to race it is me, son of former
    sharecroppers that were basically slaves. So I get it.
        I listened very carefully to Ms. Tlaib, and I think, and I
    don't want--I'm not going to put words in her mouth, but I
    think she said that she was not calling you a racist. And I
    thought that we could clarify that.
        Because, Mr. Meadows, you know, and of all the people on
    this committee I have said it and got in trouble for it, that
    you're one of my best friends. I know that shocks a lot of
    people.
        Mr. Meadows. And likewise, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Cummings. Yes. But you are. And I would--and I
    could see and feel your pain. I feel it. And so--and I don't
    think Ms. Tlaib intended to cause you that, that kind of pain
    and that kind of frustration.
        Did you have a statement, Ms. Tlaib? I'm going to yield to
    you. We can just straighten this up.
        Ms. Tlaib. No. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        And to my colleague, Mr. Meadows, that was not my
    intention, and I do apologize if that's what it sounded like.
    But I said someone in general. And as everybody knows in this
    Chamber, I'm pretty direct. So if I wanted to say that I would
    have, but that's not what I said.
        And thank you, Mr. Chairman, for allowing me to clarify.
        But again, I said someone. And again, I was not referring
    to you at all as a racist.
        Mr. Meadows. Well, I thank the gentlewoman for her
    comments. I thank the chairman for working to clarify this, and
    I appreciate the chairman's intervening.
        Chairman Cummings. Now, to the gentleman, first of all,
    thank you for allowing us to resolve that.
        The gentleman had asked a little bit earlier----
        Mr. Meadows. I will withdraw my request.
        Chairman Cummings. Oh, you don't want to do the unanimous
    consent?
        Mr. Meadows. I need the unanimous consent, but I think I
    need to officially withdraw my request that it be stricken from
    the record.
        Chairman Cummings. OK, withdraw it. You did it?
        Mr. Meadows. I did.
        Chairman Cummings. All right. Sounds good.
        Now I will recognize you for your unanimous consent. I
    think you want to put in the record some documents.
        Mr. Meadows. Yes, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        I ask unanimous consent that we put forth in the record the
    Vanity Fair article which indicates that Michael Cohen must be
    the most gifted consultant in America, outlining his insights
    into government healthcare and policy and real estate,
    suggesting that he is not--it is not a real company, just like
    he is not a lawyer.
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection, so ordered.
        [The information referred to follows:]

        [The article referenced above is available at: https://
    www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/05/michael-cohen-must-be-the-most-
    gifted-consultant-in-america]

        Mr. Meadows. Thank you.
        I ask unanimous consent that the L.A. Times article of July
    16, 2018, actually be put in the record, which outlines the
    $1.2 million payment and their misgivings thereafter.
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection, so ordered.

        [The article referenced above is available at:https://
    www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-novartis-cohen-
    20180716-story.html.]

        Chairman Cummings. Any other unanimous consent requests?
        Mr.Hice.
        Mr. Hice. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        I ask unanimous consent to make the February 9, 2019,
    Washington Post profile of Michael Cohen, titled ``Michael
    Cohen's Secret Agenda,'' part of the record. This story shows
    Cohen to be a selfish manipulator who is all about himself. It
    even has a false anecdote about how he once claimed to deliver
    his own son, his own baby.
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection, so ordered.
        [The article may be found at:https://
    www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/politics/michael-cohens-
    secret-agenda-as-trumps-fixer/?utm--term=.b39beefbdfce ]

        Mr. Hice. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        I ask unanimous consent to make the May 9, 2018, Washington
    Post article, ``South Korean Firm Paid Michael Cohen $150,000
    as it Sought Contract from U.S. Government,'' as part of the
    record. The article reported Korea Aerospace Industries paid a
    shell company run by Cohen.
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection, so ordered.
        [The article may be found at: https://
    www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/south-korean-firm-paid-
    michael-cohen-150000-as-it-sought-contract-from-us-government/
    2018/05/09/0ae31788-53b7-11e8-abd8-265bd07a9859--
    story.html?utm--term=.f63ad297b92d.]
        Mr. Hice. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        I ask unanimous consent to make Michael Cohen's sentencing
    statement to the Southern District of New York part of the
    record. The statement establishes that Michael Cohen continues
    to falsely blame his crimes on blind loyalty to the President,
    but only Cohen is to blame for his many false statements to
    financial institutions and the IRS.
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection, so ordered.
        [The information referred to follows:]
                      Michael Cohen - Sentencing Statement

        Thank you, your Honor.
        I stand before your Honor humbly and painfully aware that we are
    here today for one reason: Because of my actions that I pied guilty to
    on August 21, and as well on November 29.
        I take full responsibility for each act that I pied guilty to, the
    personal ones to me and those involving the President of the United
    States of America. Viktor Frankl in his book, "Man's Search for
    Meaning," he wrote, "There are forces beyond your control that can take
    away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose
    how you will respond to the situation."
        Your Honor, this may seem hard to believe, but today is one of the
    most meaningful days of my life. The irony is today is the day I am
    getting my freedom back as you sit at the bench and you contemplate my
    fate.
        I have been living in a personal and mental incarceration ever
    since the fateful day that I accepted the offer to work for a famous
    real estate mogul whose business acumen I truly admired. In fact, I now
    know that there is little to be admired. I want to be clear. I blame
    myself for the conduct which has brought me here today, and it was my
    own weakness, and a blind loyalty to this man that led me to choose a
    path of darkness over light. It is for these reasons I chose to
    participate in the elicit act of the President rather than to listen to
    my own inner voice which should have warned me that the campaign
    finance violations that I later pied guilty to were insidious.
        Recently, the President Tweeted a statement calling me weak, and he
    was correct, but for a much different reason than he was implying. It
    was because time and time again I felt it was my duty to cover up his
    dirty deeds rather than to listen to my own inner voice and my moral
    compass. My weakness can be characterized as a blind loyalty to Donald
    Trump, and I was weak for not having the strength to question and to
    refuse his demands. I have already spent years living a personal and
    mental incarceration, which no matter what is decided today, owning
    this mistake will free me to be once more the person I really am.
        Your Honor, I love my family more than anything in the world: My
    dad who is here today, my mom, my in-laws, siblings, love of my life,
    my wife Laura, my pride and joy, my daughter Samantha, my son, Jake.
    There is no sentence that could supersede the suffering that I live
    with on a daily basis, knowing that my actions have brought undeserved
    pain and shame upon my family. I deserve that pain. They do not.
        I also stand before my children, for them to see their father
    taking responsibility for his mistakes, mistakes that have forced them
    to bear a shameful spotlight which they have done nothing to deserve,
    and this breaks my heart. For me, the greatest punishment has been
    seeing the unbearable pain that my actions and my associations have
    brought to my entire family. My mom, my dad, this isn't what they
    deserve to see in their older age, especially when as a child they
    emphasized to all of us the difference between right and wrong. And I'm
    sorry.
        I believed during this process that there were only two things I
    could do to minimize the pain to my family: Admit my guilt and move
    these proceedings along. This is why I did not enter into a cooperation
    agreement. I have elected to be sentenced without asking for
    adjournment. I have given information during countless hours of
    meetings with prosecutors that have been cited as substantial,
    meaningful and credible. I have chosen this unorthodox path because the
    faster I am sentenced, the sooner I can return to my family, be the
    father I want to be, the husband I want to be, and a productive member
    of society again. I do not need a cooperation agreement to be in place
    to do the right thing. And I will continue to cooperate with
    government, offering as much information as I truthfully possess.
        I stand behind my statement that I made to George Stephanopoulos,
    that my wife, my daughter, my son have my first loyalty and always
    will. I put family and country first. My departure as a loyal soldier
    to the President bears a very hefty price.
        For months now the President of the United States, one of the most
    powerful men in the world, publicly mocks me, calling me a rat and a
    liar, and insists that the Court sentence me to the absolute maximum
    time in prison. Not only is this improper; it creates a false sense
    that the President can weigh in on the outcome of judicial proceedings
    that implicate him. Despite being vilified by the press and inundated
    with character assassinations over the past almost two years, I still
    stand today, and I am committed to proving my integrity and ensuring
    that history will not remember me as the villain of his story. I now
    know that every action I take in the future has to be well thought out
    and with honorable intention because I wish to leave no room for future
    mistakes in my life.
        And so I beseech your Honor to consider this path that I am
    currently taking when sentencing me today. And I want to apologize to
    my entire family for what my actions have put them through. My family
    has suffered immeasurably in the home and the world outside. I know I
    have let them all down, and it will be my life's work to make it right,
    and to become the best version of myself.
        Most all, I want to apologize to the people of the United States.
    You deserve to know the truth and lying to you was unjust. I want to
    thank you, your Honor, for all the time I'm sure you've committed to
    this matter and the consideration that you have given to my future.
    Again, I want to thank my family, my friends, many who are here today,
    who are with me, especially all the people who wrote letters on my
    behalf. In addition, I would like to thank the tens of thousands of
    strangers who despite not knowing me at all, not knowing me personally
    have shown kindness and empathy in writing letters to me and offering
    support and prayer. And I thank you, your Honor, I am truly sorry, and
    I promise I will be better.

        Mr. Hice. I ask unanimous consent to make the August 20,
    2018, CNN article, ``Fed Scrutinizing Michael Cohen's Former
    Accountant and Bank Loans,'' part of the record. Cohen's
    accountant was subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury and
    required a lawyer. In his sentencing memo prosecutors said
    Cohen attempted to blame his tax evasion on his accountant.
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection, so ordered.

        [The article referenced above is available at: https://
    www.cnn.com/2018/08/07/politics/michael-cohen-accountant-
    subpoena/index.html.]

        Mr. Hice. Two more real quickly.
        Chairman Cummings. Sure.
        Mr. Hice. I ask unanimous consent to make the February 26,
    2019, order filed by the Appellate Division of the State of New
    York regarding disciplinary proceedings against Michael Cohen
    part of the record. This order, which proactively applies
    starting February 28, establishes Cohen committed a serious
    crime and ceased being an attorney when he was convicted of
    lying to Congress.
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection, so ordered.
        [The information referred to follows:]
        [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Mr. Hice. And finally, Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous
    consent to make the July 26, 2018, Washington Post article,
    ``Michael Cohen Secretly Recorded Trump: Does That Make Him a
    Bad Lawyer,'' part of the record. The article describes
    potential ethical violations of a lawyer, Cohen, recording his
    client, Trump, without the client's knowledge.
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection, so ordered.
        [The article may be found on: https://
    www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/07/25/michael-
    cohen-secretly-recorded-trump-does-that-make-him-a-bad-lawyer/
    ?utm--term=.a8b7b4b17413.]
        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Norman.
        Mr. Norman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        I ask unanimous consent to make the January 18, 2019,
    Huffington Post article, ``11 Tweets from the Fake Fan Account
    'Stud' Michael Cohen Paid to Fawn Over Him,'' part of the
    record. The account is described as a place for women who love
    and support Michael Cohen. ``Strong, pit bull, sex symbol, no
    nonsense, business oriented, ready to make a difference!"
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection, so ordered.

        [The article referenced above is available at: https://
    www.huffpost.com/entry/michael-cohen-women-for-cohen-tweets--
    n--5c41a28ee4b0bfa693c22b39.]

        Chairman Cummings. Mr. Roy.
        Mr. Roy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        I would ask unanimous consent to make the April 20, 2018,
    article in Mother Jones titled ``Michael Cohen Says He Has
    Never Been to Prague, He Told Me a Different Story'' part of
    the record.
        Chairman Cummings. Without objection, so ordered.

        [The article referencedabove is available at: https://
    www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/04/michael-cohen-says-hes-
    never-been-to-prague-he-told-me-a-different-story/.]

        Mr. Roy. Thank you, sir.
        Chairman Cummings. Very well.
        Mr. Cohen, I have some concluding remarks, but before I do
    that do you have anything you would like to say?
        Mr. Cohen. Yes, yes, Mr. Chairman, I would. I have some
    closing remarks I would like to say myself. Is this an
    appropriate time?
        Chairman Cummings. You can do it now.
        Mr. Cohen. Thank you.
        So first I want to thank you, Chairman, because I
    appreciate the opportunity to share some final thoughts.
        I have acknowledged I have made my own mistakes, and I have
    owned up to them publicly and under oath, but silence and
    complicity in the face of the daily destruction of our basic
    norms and civility to one another will not be one of them.
        I did things and I acted improperly, at times at Mr.
    Trump's behest. I blindly followed his demands. My loyalty to
    Mr. Trump has cost me everything, my family's happiness,
    friendships, my law license, my company, my livelihood, my
    honor, my reputation, and soon my freedom, and I will not sit
    back, say nothing and allow him to do the same to the country.
        Indeed, given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear
    that if he loses the election in 2020, that there will never be
    a peaceful transition of power, and this is why I agreed to
    appear before you today.
        In closing, I would like to say directly to the President:
    We honor our veterans even in the rain. You tell the truth even
    when it doesn't aggrandize you. You respect the law and our
    incredible law enforcement agents. You don't villainize them.
    You don't disparage generals, gold star families, prisoners of
    war, and other heroes who had the courage to fight for this
    country.
        You don't attack the media and those who question what you
    don't like or what you don't want them to say. And you take
    responsibility for your own dirty deeds. You don't use your
    power of your bully pulpit to destroy the credibility of those
    who speak out against you.
        You don't separate families from one another or demonize
    those looking to America for a better life. You don't vilify
    people based on the God they pray to, and you don't cuddle up
    to our adversaries at the expense of our allies. And, finally,
    you don't shut down the government before Christmas and New
    Year's just to simply appease your base. This behavior is
    churlish. It denigrates the office of the President, and it's
    simply un-American, and it's not you.
        So to those who support the President and his rhetoric, as
    I once did, I pray the country doesn't make the same mistakes
    that I have made, or pay the heavy price that my family and I
    are paying. And I thank you very much for this additional time,
    Chairman.
        Chairman Cummings. Thank you very much. The ranking member
    has a closing statement.
        Mr. Jordan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We know Mr. Cohen has
    been dishonest in the past--that's why he's going to prison in
    two months--but there are things today that he said during the
    several hours of questioning that just don't add up either. He
    said he never defrauded any bank. He was having a conversation
    questioning from Mr. Comer. Obviously, that's not true, because
    he's going to prison for that very offense.
        He said today he was a good lawyer who understood the need
    to represent his client--his client with legal advice, but in
    his written testimony, he said he never bothered to consider
    whether payments to women for improper--whether payments to
    women were improper, much less the right thing to do.
        He attested in his signed truth in testimony form, that he
    did not have any reportable contracts with foreign-government
    entities. Earlier he admitted to having consulting agreements
    with at least two foreign entities owned, in part, by foreign
    governments BTA Bank of Kazakhstan and Korea Aerospace
    Industries of South Korea.
        He said to Chairman Cummings that Donald Trump directed him
    and the Trump Organization CFO, Allen Weisselberg, to, quote,
    ``go back to his office and figure out how to make a $130,000
    payment,'' but in his testimony, he says, Mr. Trump directed me
    to use my own personal funds from the home equity line of
    credit to avoid any money being traced back to him that could
    negatively impact the campaign.
        And in response to a question about him paying to set up
    the fake Twitter account, @WomenForCohen, that he didn't direct
    the commission of that Twitter account. He says, I didn't set
    that up, and it was done by a young lady that works for the
    firm, when, in fact, he did ask the IT firm, RedFinch, to set
    it up, according to the owner of RedFinch. And, finally, he
    said he didn't want a job with the administration, even though
    the attorneys with the Southern District of New York stated
    that this was a fact. When asked about this, they said, I
    wouldn't call them liars, but that statement is not accurate.
        Mr. Chairman, I think maybe more importantly is what we
    should have been doing today. Mr. Meadows and I sent you a
    letter asking us--asking you to have Mr. Rosenstein here. I
    think it's important to know that last week, when you announced
    that Mr. Cohen was coming this week, just happened to be the
    very same week that we learned the Deputy Attorney General of
    the United States was thinking about wearing a wire to record
    the Commander in Chief, was actually contemplating, talking to
    cabinet members and invoking the 25th Amendment.
        That's what we should be focused on, not this sad display
    we've had to go through the last several hours. And, again,
    it's not my words. You can take the words of the former general
    counsel for the House of Representatives under Tip O'Neill.
        So I hope we've learned some things here today. But, Mr.
    Chairman, as I said earlier, your first big hearing, the first
    announced witness of the 116th Congress, is a gentleman who is
    going to prison in two months for lying to Congress. I don't
    think that's what we should be focused on. I yield back.
        Chairman Cummings. Thank you very much.
        You know, I've sat here and I've listened to all of this,
    and it's very painful. It's very painful. You made a lot of
    mistakes, Mr. Cohen, and you've admitted that. And, you know,
    one of the saddest parts of this whole thing is that some very
    innocent people are hurting, too--and you acknowledged that--
    and that's your family. And so you come here today and you--
    deep in my heart, I have to--you know, when I practiced law, I
    represented a lot of lawyers who got in trouble, and you come
    saying, I have made my mistakes, but now I want to change my
    life. And, you know, if we--if we as a Nation, did not give
    people an opportunity, after they made mistakes, to change
    their lives, a whole lot of people would not do very well.
        I don't know where you go from here. As I sat here and I
    listened to both sides, I just felt as if--and--and, you know,
    people are now using my words, that they took from me, that
    didn't give me any credit, we're better than this. We are so
    much--we really are. As a country, we are so much better than
    this.
        And, you know, I told you, and, and, and, for some reason,
    Mr. Cohen, I tell my--my children, I say, when bad things
    happen to you, do not ask the question, Why did it happen to
    me? Ask the question, Why did it happen for me? I don't know
    why this is happening for you, but it is my hope that a small
    part of it is for our country to be better. If I hear you
    correctly, it sounds like you're crying out for a new normal,
    for us getting back to normal. It sounds to me like you want to
    make sure that our democracy stays intact. When I had the one
    meeting I had with President Trump, I said to him, the greatest
    gift that you and I, Mr. President, can give to our children,
    is making sure that we give them a democracy that is intact, a
    democracy better than the one that we came upon, and I'm hoping
    that the things you said today will help us begin to get back
    there.
        You know, I mean, come on now, I mean, when you got,
    according to The Washington Post, our President has made at
    least 8,718--8,718 false or misleading statements. That's
    stunning. That's not what we teach our children. I don't teach
    mine that. And for whatever reason, you--it sounds like you got
    caught up in it. You got caught up in it. You got caught up in
    it. And some kind of way, I hope that you will--I know that
    it's painful going to prison. I know--I know it's got to be
    painful being called a rat.
        And let me--let me explain. A lot of people don't know the
    significance of that, but I live in the inner city of
    Baltimore, all right? And when you call somebody a rat, that's
    one of the worse things you can call them, because when they go
    to prison, that means a snitch. I'm just saying. And so the
    President called you a rat. We're better than that. We really
    are.
        And I'm hoping that all of us can get back to this
    democracy that we want and that we should be passing on our
    children, so that they can do better than what we did.
        And so you wonder whether people believe you. I don't know.
    I don't know whether they believe you. But the fact is that you
    come, you have your head down, and this has got to be one of
    the hardest things that you could do.
        Let me tell you the picture that really, really pained me.
    You were leaving the prison--you were leaving the courthouse,
    and I guess it's your daughter had braces or something on. Man,
    that thing--man, that thing hurt me. As a father of two
    daughters, it hurt me. And I can imagine how it must feel for
    you.
        But I'm just saying to you, I want to, first of all, thank
    you. I know that this has been hard. I know that you face a
    lot. I know that you are worried about your family, but this is
    a part of your destiny. And hopefully this portion of your
    destiny will lead to a better--a better--a better Michael
    Cohen, a better Donald Trump, a better United States of
    America, and a better world. And I mean that from the depths of
    my heart.
        When we're dancing with the angels, the question will be
    asked, in 2019, what did we do to make sure we kept our
    democracy intact? Did we stand on the sidelines and say
    nothing? Did we play games? And I'm tired of these statements
    saying--people come in here and say, Oh, oh, this is the first
    hearing. It is not the first hearing. The first hearing with
    regard to prescription drugs. Remember? A little girl, a lady
    sat there, Ms. Worsham, her daughter died because she could not
    get $333 a month in insulin. That was our first hearing.
        Second hearing, H.R. 1, voting rights, corruption in
    government. Come on now. We can do more than one thing, and we
    have got to get back to normal. With that, this meeting is
    adjourned.
        [Whereupon, at 5:20 p.m., the committee was adjourned.]

                                     [all]