Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen postponed his testimony before Congress, so House Democrats are going to subpoena Cohen to testify.
Rep. Stephen Lynch, a senior member of the House Oversight Committee told NBC News:
Rep. Stephen Lynch, senior member of House Oversight, says of Cohen backing out of Feb hearing: “The overwhelming consensus is that we should move forward with a subpoena.â€
— Mike Memoli (@mikememoli) January 23, 2019
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
Michael Cohen and his family are afraid to appear because of threats made by Trump against his family. Trump’s threats to Cohen and his family are defined under the law as witness tampering. They are a felony, and they carry a 20-year prison sentence.
It is possible that Cohen wanted to subpoenaed and forced to testify as a way of turning Trump’s wrath toward the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee. There is a possibility that Michael Cohen ends up testifying in a closed session. As much as most Americans want to hear the truth about Trump’s activities, if Cohen fears for the safety of his family, it wouldn’t be surprising if the committee does at least part of his testimony in closed session.
Michael Cohen isn’t going to get out of testifying.
Trump’s efforts to intimidate Cohen into silence have only made things worse, as Democrats are going to use their subpoena power to get his former lawyer’s testimony one way or the other.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
