Trump ordered lawyer Michael Cohen to lie to congress over Moscow tower deal, explosive report says
Lawmakers demand president’s resignation or impeachment if allegations confirmed
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump reportedly ordered his personal lawyer Michael Cohen to lie to congress about his plans for a Trump Tower in Moscow.
According to the explosive claims, law enforcement officials said the US president instructed Cohen to claim negotiations over the Russian project ended months earlier than they actually did.
The officials said Cohen confirmed to special counsel Robert Mueller’s team – which is investigating ties between the Trump campaign and Russia – that Mr Trump instructed the attorney to lie to the Senate and House intelligence committees.
It prompted immediate calls for the president to resign or face impeachment if the allegations, first reported by BuzzFeed News, were confirmed by Mr Mueller’s office.
Follow all the latest Trump-Cohen updates on The Independent’s live blog
“If Mueller does have multiple sources confirming Trump directed Cohen to lie to congress, then we need to know this ASAP,” Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator, said on Twitter.
“Mueller shouldn’t end his inquiry, but it’s about time for him to show congress his cards before it’s too late for us to act.”
Joaquin Castro, a Democratic congressman for Texas, said Mr Trump “must resign or be impeached” if the report was confirmed.
Mr Mueller reportedly learned about Mr Trump’s instruction to Cohen through interviews with multiple Trump Organisation witnesses, as well as internal emails, text messages and other documents.
Mr Cohen later acknowledged the order during interviews with the special counsel, the report said.
If confirmed, the revelation would be the first known incident on Mr Trump explicitly and illegally directing someone to lie about their interactions with Russia.
It comes after Cohen pleaded guilty last year to lying in testimony and a written statement to congress in 2017 regarding the proposed Moscow tower deal.
The 52-year-old initially told lawmakers negotiations over the project ended in January 2016. They in fact continued up until at least June of that year.
He was sentenced to three years in prison for lying to congress and another charge of making illegal hush-money payments to two women who allege they had affairs with Mr Trump.
The special counsel’s office said Cohen’s lying was an attempt to “minimise links between the Moscow Project and Individial 1”, a reference to Mr Trump.
In a November court filing, Mr Mueller’s office said Cohen had offered them “useful” information over the course of a series on interviews, and had provided details about his contacts with “persons connected to the White House” in regards to how he prepared statements to congress.
Mr Trump also allegedly supported a plan, organised by his former lawyer, to visit Russia during the presidential campaign in order to personally meet Vladimir Putin and help push through the tower negotiations.
“Make it happen,” Mr Trump reportedly told Cohen, according to the report.
The trip never went ahead, and Mr Trump denied having any business interests in Russia, claiming repeatedly he had “nothing to do” with the country.
It emerged last month, however, that Mr Trump in 2015 signed a letter of intent to begin negotiations over a Moscow tower that would have landed the Trump Organisation millions in fees and a cut of future sales.
Court documents filed by Mr Mueller’s office show Cohen had discussed with a Russian businessman plans for the tower “as late as approximately June 2016”, and had done so directly with the president multiple times.
It comes as an adviser to Cohen said the lawyer was reconsidering plans to testify before the House committee on oversight and government reform in February due to “intimidation” by the president.
Lanny Davis, an attorney who has been advising Cohen on his media strategy, said in an interview with MSNBC that remarks made by the Republican president about Cohen amounted to witness tampering and deserved to be criminally investigated.
“There is genuine fear and it has caused Michael Cohen to consider whether he should go forward or not, and he has not made a final decision,” Mr Davis said.
In a Fox News interview on Saturday, Mr Trump suggested he had damaging information on Cohen’s father-in-law. “That’s the one that people want to look at,” Mr Trump said in the interview.
The White House has been contacted for comment.
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