Michael Cohen, former lawyer of Donald Trump, testified on Wednesday, March 8, before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, accusing the U.S. President of 'lying' and 'racism.' Cohen, who appeared to testify before this committee, stated that Trump lied to the American people by denying his economic activities in Russia when he was a candidate for the U.S. presidency. Late last month, the website BuzzFeed claimed that Donald Trump instructed Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about his economic relationship with Russia. However, this report prompted a response from Robert Mueller's office, which is responsible for investigating potential Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections, denying its accuracy. Nevertheless, Cohen stated in his remarks on Wednesday before the congressional oversight committee that Trump did not 'directly tell him to lie to Congress.' He then referred to the actions of the whistleblower website WikiLeaks in hacking and publishing emails from Hillary Clinton, another candidate in the 2016 presidential election, claiming that Trump was aware of this in advance. Cohen alleged that during the election campaign, Roger Stone, a former advisor to Donald Trump, told Trump in Cohen's presence that the hacked emails would soon be released, which would damage Clinton's position. The U.S. President had previously denied any connection with WikiLeaks. Cohen continued his testimony by presenting a copy of a $35,000 check to the congressional oversight committee, which he claimed Trump gave him to reimburse hush money to a former porn actress. One of the charges against Cohen, for which he was sentenced to three years in prison, is that he violated campaign finance laws by paying hush money to a porn actress and a Playboy model in the final days of the 2016 election campaign. Trump has denied having sexual relations with these women and stated that he never asked Cohen to break the law, assuming that Cohen was aware of the regulations. The text of Cohen's testimony was leaked to the media before his appearance in Congress. Trump, who traveled to Vietnam to negotiate with Kim Jong-un, tweeted early Wednesday calling his former lawyer a 'criminal and liar.' The U.S. President emphasized that Cohen 'is lying to reduce his prison sentence.'
Michael Cohen Testifies Against Donald Trump in U.S. Congress
Michael Cohen testified against Donald Trump in Congress, accusing him of lying about his business dealings in Russia and paying hush money to silence allegations of sexual misconduct. This testimony is significant as it could have legal implications for Trump and highlights ongoing controversies surrounding his presidency.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
Michael Cohen testified before Congress, accusing Donald Trump of lying about his business dealings in Russia and paying hush money to silence allegations of sexual misconduct. Cohen presented evidence, including a check, to support his claims.
- Cohen accused Trump of lying about his economic activities in Russia.
- Cohen presented a check as evidence of hush money paid to silence allegations of sexual misconduct.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
Michael Cohen was a key figure in the Trump administration, and his testimony highlights ongoing investigations into Trump's alleged misconduct during the 2016 election.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 85%