Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr is livid with former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen after his appearance before the panel Tuesday was postponed.
Addressing a group of reporters on Capitol Hill, Burr R-N.C., said, “I can assure you that any goodwill that might have existed in the committee with Michael Cohen is now gone.”
On Monday, Lanny Davis, an adviser to Cohen, said the Senate Intelligence Committee agreed to postpone the appearance “due to post-surgery medical needs.”
Senator Burr: “I can assure you that any goodwill that might have existed in the committee with Michael Cohen is now gone”
“…The way he’s positioning himself not coming to the committee we may help him go to prison.” pic.twitter.com/hK9UURavrj
— Alan He (@alanhe) February 12, 2019
That marked the latest instance in which Cohen’s testimony before Congress has been delayed, and time is running out before he reports to prison March 6 for his three-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to a handful of crimes, including illegal campaign contributions, lying to Congress, and bank fraud.
Burr indicated he was unconvinced of Cohen’s lingering health concerns, as he had surgery a few weeks ago, and noted a tweet from a journalist showing him out with friends.
Had a lovely dinner last night at L’Avenue with … wait … who’s that there? Why, it’s Michael Cohen, greeting tables as he leaves a three hour dinner with friends, who he warmly hugged). pic.twitter.com/n7TxDxoukq
— Christina Binkley (@BinkleyOnStyle) February 10, 2019
“The way he’s positioning himself not coming to the committee we may help him go to prison,” Burr said.
Cohen had been subpoenaed in January to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee in February right after he postponed testimony before the House Oversight Committee citing “ongoing threats” by President Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
As of now, the only testimony still left of Cohen’s schedule before he reports to prison is with the House Intelligence Committee, which last week was delayed until Feb. 28.
Burr’s comments about Cohen come as the Senate Intelligence Committee nears the end of its investigation into Russian interference in the election. He said last week that their investigation has not found anything to suggest there was collusion.
Democratic Senate investigators told NBC News that the committee’s final report won’t be good for Trump, but it also won’t show direct evidence that Trump colluded with the Russians to win the election.
