Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Democrats will investigate whether the Russians laundered money through the Trump Organization after President Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen admitted he lied about a Trump real estate project in Russia.
[READ: Michael Cohen’s plea agreement]
“I think we need to look into, among other things, the credible allegations that the Russians may have been laundering money through the Trump Organization,” Schiff told reporters Thursday. “That has been a constant concern of ours, but an issue that the Republicans were unwilling to look into. That is something we expect to pursue.”
Adam Schiff: “we believe other witnesses were untruthful before our committee.” pic.twitter.com/S7iltNGi8T
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) November 29, 2018
Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said his panel would also investigate “whether the Russians possess financial leverage” over Trump.
Trump has long held that he made no deals with Russia.
“Russia has never tried to use leverage over me. I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA — NO DEALS, NO LOANS, NO NOTHING!” the president wrote in January 2017, nine days before he was sworn into office.
Cohen’s guilty plea now casts doubt on the president’s denials. Cohen reached a plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller on Thursday, and admitted he lied to the Senate Intelligence Committee about a Trump real estate project in Russia.
In August 2017, Cohen sent a letter to the committee and the House Intelligence Committee about efforts to open a Trump Tower in Moscow. Cohen had said the project was not discussed past January 2016, but court documents filed Thursday show Cohen continued to discuss the project as late as summer 2016.
Cohen’s admission raises questions about whether the Trump family has been “honest with the American people,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif, a ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, expects more damaging information to drop.
“As we continue to see this roll out of close Trump allies pleading guilty, almost always to trying to hide their ties with Russia and with Russians and the Russians attempt to infiltrate the Trump campaign — I think there is more story to be told,” he said, according to CNN. “What are they covering up for? Why are all his closest associates being found guilty about lying about their ties to Russia?”
Schiff said he would try to have Cohen appear before the House panel again in light of the new developments.
“Michael Cohen’s guilty plea also underscores the importance of something else. That is, we believe other witnesses were untruthful before our committee. We want to share those transcripts with Mr. Mueller,” Schiff said, calling on his Republican colleagues to accelerate the release of such transcripts.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., who is set to take over the chairmanship of the House Judiciary Committee, echoed Schiff’s worries.
“He lied to Congress apparently about dealings between Trump and Russia, that leads me to suspect that there are more dealings that the president wanted hidden. And this raises all kinds of questions … whether the Russian government has any kind of hold over the president,” Nadler told CNN.
