Michael Cohen’s guilty plea for lying to Congress shows critics of Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation must “face the reality” the special counsel seems to be “closing in” on President Trump, the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said Thursday.
[READ: Michael Cohen’s plea agreement]
“Lying to Congress is a serious crime with serious consequences,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said in a statement. “Mr. Cohen has now admitted to lying about his contacts with Russian officials on behalf of President Trump. His guilty plea contemplates Mr. Cohen’s further cooperation with investigators. Anyone who still believes that this is a ‘witch hunt’ must now face the reality that the investigation appears to be closing in on the President.”
Nadler is slated to head the Judicary Committee once House Democrats assume power in early January. He’s pledged the panel will investigate Trump’s finances, Russia connections, and an array of other issues. The House Judiciary Committee would also be the first stop for any potential impeachment proceedings against Trump.
Cohen, who previously worked as Trump’s personal attorney, entered a new plea deal with Mueller on Thursday, admitting he “knowingly and willfully made a materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statement and representation” to Congress regarding a Trump real estate project in Moscow.
Cohen sent a letter in August 2017 to the Senate and House Intelligence committees about Trump Organization efforts to establish a Trump Tower in Moscow, in which he said the project was last discussed in January 2016. Court documents indicate the project was discussed much later, into summer 2016, by which time Trump had clinched the Republican presidential nomination.
Trump has routinely called Mueller’s investigation a “witch hunt” and slammed the probe, which is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin.
Nadler noted that those in Trump’s orbit, including his campaign manager, his one-time White House national security adviser, and others, have pleaded guilty in connection to Mueller’s investigation.
“The President can pretend that this investigation has nothing to do with him and nothing to do with Russia, but these indictments speak for themselves,” Nadler said. “We must allow this investigation to run its course without interference from the President or his allies on Capitol Hill.”
