Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called out Republicans for not coming to the defense of President Trump, whom Christie said must be “fuming” at the GOP’s silence amid Michael Cohen’s testimony before the House Oversight and Reform Committee Wednesday.
During an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Christie questioned why Republicans were not “standing up and defending the president on the substance” of Cohen’s testimony.
“Someone needs to defend the president of the United States here,” Christie said. “He’s being accused of crimes by a guy, who seemingly has inside knowledge of it. But there is an explanation for this, and no one is defending the president. That means either the House did not consult with the White House at all in crafting this strategy, or they did and the White House dropped the ball.”
“Either way, the president I can guarantee … he’s sitting in Vietnam right now, fuming that no one’s defending him,” Christie said.
Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations concerning hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign to two women who claimed they had affairs with Trump. Cohen said Trump was aware of the payments and told the panel he was reimbursed by the president while Trump was in the Oval Office.
He also presented lawmakers with a check for $35,000 dated Aug. 1, 2017.
“This $35,000 check was one of 11 check installments that was paid throughout the year while he was president,” Cohen said Wednesday.
“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,” he said.
Republican lawmakers on the House Oversight and Reform Committee attempted to discredit Cohen, with ranking member Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio labeling him a liar and a Democratic “patsy.”
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign dismissed Cohen’s testimony as worthless, noting Cohen was disbarred Tuesday and has lied to investigators and lawmakers in the past.
“This is the same Michael Cohen who has admitted that he lied to Congress previously. Why did they even bother to swear him in this time?” Kayleigh McEnany, the Trump campaign’s national press secretary, said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
Trump also blasted Cohen on Twitter for lying to “reduce his prison time,” and said Cohen “did bad things unrelated to Trump.”
