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Former Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen Testifies Before House: VIDEO, HIGHLIGHTS

Andy Towle February 27, 2019 Leave a Comment

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Today's must-watch TV: Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen testifies before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform at 10 am ET. We'll bump this to the top of the site when testimony begins.

Open this page in a new tab by clicking HERE.

An advance copy of 20-pages of Cohen's statement was released last night. You can read it HERE.

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Watch streams above.

Here are some highlights from Cohen's testimony.

Cohen said that Trump is currently the subject of a criminal investigation after being asked by Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) after asking if there is “any other wrongdoing or illegal act that you are aware of regarding Donald Trump that we haven't yet discussed today?” Cohen responded, “Yes. And again, those are part of the investigation that's currently being looked at by the Southern District of New York.”

Cohen said that Trump never expected to win the general election and thought of it as a marketing opportunity. He “ran for office to make his brand great, not to make our country great.”

Cohen said that Trump boasted about cheating the IRS and showed Cohen a $10 million tax refund, saying the government was “stupid” for giving “someone like him” so much back.

Cohen said that Trump knew about the Wikileaks email dump: “Mr. Stone told Mr. Trump that he had just gotten off the phone with Julian Assange and that Mr. Assange told Mr. Stone that, within a couple of days, there would be a massive dump of emails that would damage Hillary Clinton's campaign.” Added Cohen: “Mr. Trump responded by stating to the effect of ‘wouldn't that be great.'”

Cohen revealed why he flipped on Trump: “There are several factors — Helsinki, Charlottesville, watching the daily destruction of our civility to one another, putting up silly things like this. Really unbecoming of Congress. It's that sort of behavior that I'm responsible for. I'm responsible for your silliness, because I did the same thing that you're doing now, for 10 years.”

Cohen said that Trump is a racist and “once asked me if I could name a country run by a black person that wasn't a ‘shithole.' This was when Barack Obama was President of the United States.” Cohen added: “While we were once driving through a struggling neighborhood in Chicago, he commented that only black people could live that way. And, he told me that black people would never vote for him because they were too stupid.”

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) brought out a surprise guest, black HUD official Lynne Patton, to prove that Trump isn't racist. Said Meadows: “She says that, as a daughter of a man born in Birmingham, Alabama, that there is no way that she would work for an individual who was racist.”

Cohen's response: “And neither should I, as the son of a Holocaust survivor….Ask Ms. Patton how many people who are black are executives at the Trump Organization. And the answer is zero.”

Rep. Brenda Lawrence ripped Meadows for the stunt: “I just want to put on the record that being a Black American and having endured public comments of racism from the sitting president as being a black person I can only imagine what's being said in private. To prop on one member of our entire race of black people and say that nullifies that is totally insulting. In this environment of expecting a president to be inclusive…to look at his administration speaks volumes.”

The moment was brought up near the end of the hearing in an explosive debate about racism:

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Cohen said he has “his suspicions” that Trump and his campaign colluded with Russia.

Trump indirectly told Cohen to lie about the Trump Tower Moscow project. “He would look me in the eye and tell me there's no business in Russia and then go out and lie to the American people by saying the same thing,” said Cohen. “In his way, he was telling me to lie.”

Cohen warned other members of the Trump administration that they could end up in the same place he is. Said Cohen: “I can only warn people, the more people that follow Mr. Trump as I did, blindly, are going to suffer the same consequences that I'm suffering…I had a wonderful life…I have a beautiful wife, I have two amazing children and I achieved financial success by the age of 39. I didn't go to work for Mr. Trump because I had to, I went to work for him because I wanted to, and I've lost it all.”

Cohen said that Trump is becoming an autocrat: “This destruction of our civility to one another is just…it's out of control, and when he goes on Twitter and he starts bringing in my in-laws, my parents, my wife, what does he think is going to happen? He's sending out the same message that he can do whatever he wants. This is his country. He's becoming an autocrat.”

Cohen shot down several rumors. He denied a Steele dossier claim that he had traveled to Prague to meet with representatives from the Kremlin. Said Cohen: “I've never been to Prague….I've never been to the Czech Republic.”

Cohen said that not to the best of his knowledge Trump did not have a “love child,” a rumor that was the subject of a catch-and-kill story paid for by National Enquirer parent AMI.

Cohen also said that there was no video of Trump striking Melania Trump in an elevator. He said that he had no knowledge of Trump paying for a mistress' abortion.

Cohen said he was not aware of a rumor that Trump snorted Adderall on the set of The Apprentice.

Several GOP congressman asked Cohen if he expected to someday sign a book deal about his experiences.

Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett called for an investigation over witness intimidation by Rep. Matt Gaetz, who tweeted a threat at Michael Cohen: “I want to apologize for the inappropriate comments and tweets that have been made by other members of this body. And as a former prosecutor and as former counsel on House ethics, I think that the very least there should be a referral to the Ethics Committee of witness intimidation and tampering under 18 U.S. Code § 1512 of my colleague Matt Gaetz and maybe possibly him being referred for criminal prosecution.”

Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) got Cohen to admit that Trump committed insurance and tax fraud.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35NrMAvNawg

Here's Cohen's entire opening statement:

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Key moments:

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And clips we assembled as the hearing was unfolding:

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Clips:

As Chairman Cummings begins Cohen hearing, Rep. Meadows immediately makes motion to postpone the hearing.

Republicans are using parliamentary actions to delay the hearing; votes ongoing. pic.twitter.com/LVEjN0f01A

— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 27, 2019

House Oversight Chair Elijah Cummings: "Ladies and gentlemen: The days of this committee protecting the president at all costs are over. They're over." https://t.co/CR0G1m1FTG pic.twitter.com/13Rc4z49Fj

— ABC News (@ABC) February 27, 2019

Rep. Jim Jordan on Michael Cohen hearing: "This might be the first time someone convicted of lying to Congress has appeared again so quickly in front of Congress." https://t.co/ij0AmYP27T pic.twitter.com/b1Du3xqnyV

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 27, 2019

BREAKING: Michael Cohen testifies before Congress on Pres. Trump: "I am ashamed because I know what Mr. Trump is. He is a racist, he is a conman, and he is a cheat." https://t.co/55qPzPJjvk pic.twitter.com/29srCMSlbw

— ABC News (@ABC) February 27, 2019

Cohen: "I regret the day I said 'yes' to Mr. Trump. I regret all the help and support I gave him along the way." https://t.co/4McXejykRV pic.twitter.com/O0HppFBxAl

— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 27, 2019

Michael Cohen testifies against Donald Trump: "He was a presidential candidate who knew that Roger Stone was talking with Julian Assange about a Wikileaks drop on Democratic National Committee emails" https://t.co/0vRKXW0E8S pic.twitter.com/QKHOo9KpBP

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 27, 2019

Cohen says he is providing Oversight Committee with copy of check "Mr. Trump wrote from his personal bank account, after he became president, to reimburse me for the hush money payments I made to cover up his affair with an adult film star and to prevent damage to his campaign." pic.twitter.com/wJ2UvSOOJ0

— ABC News (@ABC) February 27, 2019

The moment everyone was waiting for:

"And for the record: Individual #1 is President Donald J. Trump." #CohenHearing pic.twitter.com/pp1y2ogYI7

— CAP Action (@CAPAction) February 27, 2019

This sounds like a breakup letter… and I'm keeping your sweatshirt.

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) February 27, 2019

Cohen: "A lot of people have asked me about whether Mr. Trump knew about the release of the hacked documents, Democratic National Committee e-mails, ahead of time. And the answer is yes." #CohenTestimony pic.twitter.com/I8hy7WVDen

— Vox (@voxdotcom) February 27, 2019

Michael Cohen: "Donald Trump is a man who ran for office for make his brand great — not to make our country great. He had no desire of intention to lead this nation — only to market himself and to build his wealth and power" https://t.co/ij0AmYP27T pic.twitter.com/nhqltvAu0g

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 27, 2019

Michael Cohen to House Oversight Committee: "In the mix, lying for Mr. Trump was normalized, and no one around him questioned it. In fairness, no one around today questions it either." https://t.co/cQKR8VvPRB pic.twitter.com/HclcU2n7ei

— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) February 27, 2019

Cohen: "You need to know Mr. Trump's personal lawyers reviewed and edited my statement to Congress about the timing of the Moscow Tower negotiations before I gave it. So to be clear, Mr. Trump knew of and directed the Trump-Moscow negotiations throughout the campaign." pic.twitter.com/DByB4GWr62

— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 27, 2019

Michael Cohen: President Trump "asked me to pay off an adult film star with whom he had an affair, and to lie to his wife about it, which I did. Lying to the First Lady is one of my biggest regrets. She is a kind, good person." https://t.co/fgXtP0ddHb pic.twitter.com/8Os816zFij

— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 27, 2019

"Donald Trump is a man who ran for office to make his brand great, not our country great," Cohen says. https://t.co/4McXejykRV pic.twitter.com/kC6ZRnhggi

— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 27, 2019

“Mr. Stone told Mr. Trump that he had just gotten off the phone with Julian Assange and that…within a couple of days, there would be a massive dump of emails that would damage Hillary Clinton's campaign.”

Trump's response: “Wouldn't that be great.” #CohenHearing pic.twitter.com/XCBv4eSVYa

— CAP Action (@CAPAction) February 27, 2019

Michael Cohen apologizes for lying to Congress: "I have done some real soul searching, and I see now that my ambition and the intoxication of Trump power had much to do with the bad decisions in part that I made." https://t.co/bGOQwKc1vW pic.twitter.com/ZaPsCCVJff

— ABC News (@ABC) February 27, 2019

"[Trump] once asked me if I could name a country run by a black person that wasn't from a sh*thole country. This was when Barack Obama was president of the United States," Cohen said about Trump being a "racist." https://t.co/4McXejykRV pic.twitter.com/izQZx3SBuT

— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 27, 2019

Michael Cohen: "Mr. Trump called me a rat for choosing to tell the truth, much like a mobster would do when one of his men decides to cooperate with the government" https://t.co/ij0AmYP27T pic.twitter.com/w5ez4e8M7w

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 27, 2019

While discussing how to handle Trump's Vietnam War medical deferment in the media, Cohen said the president "finished with the following comment, 'do you think I'm stupid? I'm not going to Vietnam.' And I find it ironic, Mr. President, that you are in Vietnam right now." pic.twitter.com/aZBR5AM9vu

— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 27, 2019

Cummings: “Trump wrote you a check out of his personal account with he was serving as President of the United States of America to reimburse you for hush money payments to Ms. Clifford. Is that what you are telling the American people today?”

Cohen: “Yes, Mr. Chairman.” pic.twitter.com/IWEe2jRYGD

— CAP Action (@CAPAction) February 27, 2019

Citing Trump Tower Russia deal, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Shultz asks, "Is it possible the whole [Trump] family was conflicted or compromised with a foreign adversary in the months before the election?"

Michael Cohen: "Yes" https://t.co/e7HUjQ6ceA pic.twitter.com/bRPPMJhnv7

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 27, 2019

Republican Rep. James Comer: "Mr. Cohen, you called Donald Trump a cheat in your opening testimony. What would you call yourself?"

Michael Cohen: "A fool." https://t.co/JPh7tRti3L pic.twitter.com/sve7XxiS3M

— ABC News (@ABC) February 27, 2019

Democratic Rep. Lynch slams GOP for "low point," saying no one who pleaded guilty or was convicted in Russia probe was brought before the committee under GOP leadership.

"Your side ran away from the truth. We're trying to bring it to the American people." https://t.co/ivQY5mCsth pic.twitter.com/4BFJW0kPIp

— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) February 27, 2019

Rep. Paul Gosar: "You're a pathological liar! You don't know truth from falsehood."

Michael Cohen: "Sir, I'm sorry, are you referring to me or the president?" https://t.co/55qPzPJjvk pic.twitter.com/trRI0IH2u6

— ABC News (@ABC) February 27, 2019

Michael Cohen to Republicans: "I did the same thing that you're doing now for ten years. I protected Mr. Trump for ten years."

"I can only warn people — the more people that follow Mr. Trump, as I did blindly, are going to suffer the same consequences" https://t.co/wY1kuQ933q pic.twitter.com/2uFukQz6FN

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 27, 2019

Cohen says his testimony on Trump Tower Moscow was changed by the president's lawyer, Jay Sekulow pic.twitter.com/jGJI6Lulro

— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) February 27, 2019

Donald Trump scheduled counter-programming during Cohen's damning testimony.

The HuffPost reports: ‘President Donald Trump scheduled a dinner for Wednesday with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un at their summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, but only after House Democrats announced that his former lawyer and “fixer” would publicly testify on Capitol Hill at about the same time. The apparent “counterprogramming” of Michael Cohen's expected damaging testimony concerns arms control and national security experts, who fear that Trump is trying to distract public attention from Cohen, even at the cost of U.S. interests.'

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