Michael Cohen's House Testimony

The Complete Transcripts and Case Documents

Diversion Books

• Publisher: Diversion Books
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN:
  9781635766707
• eBook ISBN:
  9781635766691
• Topic: Law
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: Law

The full transcript of one of the most shocking testimonies of the Trump Era and in the history of the United States government.

"I am ashamed that I chose to take part in concealing Mr. Trump's illicit acts…. I am ashamed because I know what Mr. Trump is. He is a racist. He is a conman. He is a cheat."
—from Michael Cohen's Opening Statement to the House Oversight Committee

"Michael Cohen…was just disbarred by the State Supreme Court for lying & fraud. He did bad things unrelated to Trump. He is lying in order to reduce his prison time."
—President Donald J. Trump

On February 27, 2019, with the world watching, Michael Cohen—former lawyer and fixer for President Donald J. Trump—took the stand in front of the House Oversight Committee and delivered one of the most sensational days of Congressional testimony in history. Not since President Richard Nixon's White House counsel John Dean turned on him during the Watergate scandal has a close presidential associate attacked the character of the chief of state and charged him with criminal acts.

Here in one volume is living history—the hard-hitting prepared statements, the damning evidence, the salacious charges, the belligerent questioning, and the stunning revelations.

THE CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY

February 27, 2019

Rep. Mark Meadows (R, North Carolina): Mr. Chairman I have a point of order.

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D, Maryland): You will state your point of order.

Meadows: Rule 9(f) of the committee rules say that any testimony from your witness needs to be here 24 hours in advance. The committee, the chairman knows well that at 10:08 we received the written testimony—and then we received evidence this morning at 7:54. Now, if this was just an oversight, Mr. Chairman, I could look beyond it. But it was an intentional effort by this witness and his advisers to once again show his disdain for this body. And with that, I move that we postpone this hearing.

Cummings: I want to thank the gentlemen. Let me say that this we got the testimony late last night. We did. And we got it to you all pretty much the same time that we got it. I want to move forward with this hearing.

Meadows: Mr. Chairman, with all due respect, Mr. Chairman, this is a violation of the rule. And—and if it was not intentional I would—I would not have a problem. I’m not saying it was intentional on your part. I’m saying it’s intentional on his part, because Mr. Dean last night on a cable news network actually made it all very evident. John Dean. I’ll quote, Mr. Chairman. He said, “As a former committee counsel in the house judiciary and then a long-term witness, sitting alone at the table is important.” Quote: “Holding your statement as long as you can so the other side can’t chew it up is important as well.” Close quote. And so—so it was advice that our witness got for this particular body. And, Mr. Chairman, when you were in the minority you wouldn’t have stood for it. I can tell that you we should not stand for it as a body, Mr. Chairman.

Cummings: Let me say this . . . . Yes, Katie Hill?

Rep. Katie Hill (D, California): I move to table.

Rep. Jordan (R, Ohio): Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I was asked to be recognized before the motion.

Cummings: The vote is so in tabling the motion to postpone.

Jordan: You know who had this before all the members of the committee? CNN had it before it we did. CNN had it before. I want to be recognized.

Cummings: Well, the vote is on tabling the motion to postpone. All in favor say aye, all opposed say no. The ayes have it.

Meadows: I appeal the ruling of the chair. Yes I—I can I assure you it’s in the rules. I appeal the ruling of the chair.

Hill: I move to waive the rules. I move to table.

Meadows: She made two motions. What’s the motion?

Cummings: The vote is on tabling.

Hill: I move to table the appeal to the ruling of the chair.

Cummings: The vote is on that. All in favor say aye. All opposed say no. The ayes have it.

Meadows: I ask for a recorded vote, Mr. Chairman.

Cummings: Very well, the clerk will call the role.

Clerk: Mr. Cummings. Mr. Cummings votes yes. Ms. Maloney. Ms. Maloney votes yes. Ms. Norton. Ms. Norton votes yes. Mr. Clay. Mr. Clay votes yes. Mr. Lynch. Mr. Lynch votes yes. Mr. Cooper. Mr. Cooper votes yes. Mr. Connolly. Mr. Connolly votes yes. Mr. Krishnamoorthi. Mr. Krishnamoorthi votes yes. Mr. Raskin. Mr. Raskin votes yes. Mr. Rouda. Mr. Rouda votes yes. Ms. Hill. Ms. Hill votes yes. Ms. Wasserman-Schultz. Ms. Wasserman-Schultz votes yes. Mr. Sarbanes. Mr. Sarbanes votes yes. Mr. Welch. Mr. Welch votes yes. Ms. Speier. Ms. Speier votes yes. Ms. Kelly. Ms. Kelly votes yes. Mr. DeSaulnier. Mr. DeSaulnier votes yes. Ms. Lawrence. Ms. Lawrence votes yes. Ms. Plaskett. Ms. Plaskett votes yes. Mr. Khanna. Mr. Khanna votes yes. Mr. Gomez. Mr. Gomez votes yes. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez votes yes. Ms. Pressley. Ms. Pressley votes yes. Ms. Tlaib. Ms. Tlaib votes yes. Mr. Jordan. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Amash. Mr. Amash votes no. Mr. Gosar. Mr. Gosar votes no. Ms. Foxx. Ms. Foxx votes no. Mr. Massey. Mr. Massey votes no. Mr. Meadows. Mr. Meadows votes no. Mr. Hice. Mr. Hice votes no. Mr. Grothman. Mr. Grothman votes no. Mr. Comer. Mr. Comer votes no. Mr. Cloud. Mr. Cloud votes no. Mr. Gibbs. Mr. Gibbs votes no Mr. Higgins. Mr. Norman. Mr. Norman votes no. Mr. Roy. Mr. Roy votes no. Ms. Miller. Ms. Miller votes no. Mr. Green. Mr. Green votes no. Mr. Armstrong. Mr. Armstrong votes no. Mr. Steube. Mr. Steube votes no. On this vote we have 24 yeses, 17 nos.

Cummings: The motion to table is agreed to. The let me say this. You made it clear that did you not want the American people to hear what Mr. Cohen has to say. But the American people have a right to hear him. So we’re going to proceed. The American people can judge his credibility for themselves. Now—

Jordan: Mr. Chairman.

Cummings: Yes.

Jordan: We did not say that. We said we wanted to follow the rules. We didn’t say stop the hearing; just postpone it so we can get his testimony and exhibits when we were supposed to get them according to the rules of the committee. That’s all we said. We didn’t say we wanted to hear from the guy.

Cummings: I’m claiming my time. I recognize myself for five minutes to give an opening statement.

Good morning. Today, the Committee will hear testimony from Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s longtime personal attorney and one of his closest and most trusted advisors over the last decade. On August 21, Mr. Cohen appeared in federal court and admitted to arranging secret payoffs of hundreds of thousands of dollars on the eve of the election to silence women alleging affairs with Donald Trump.

Mr. Cohen admitted to violating campaign finance laws and other laws. He admitted to committing these felonies quote, “in coordination with, and at the direction of” President Trump. And he admitted to lying about his actions to protect the President. Some will certainly ask, if Mr. Cohen was lying then, why should we believe him now? That is a legitimate question.

Here is how I view our role. Every one of us in this room has a duty to serve as an independent check on the Executive Branch. We are searching for the truth. The President has made many statements of his own, and now the American people have a right.

We received a copy of Mr. Cohen’s written statement late last night. It includes not only personal eyewitness accounts of meetings with Donald Trump as President inside the Oval Office, but it also includes documents and other corroborating evidence for some of Mr. Cohen’s statements. For example, Mr. Cohen has provided a copy of a check sent while the President was in office—with Donald Trump’s signature on it—to reimburse Mr. Cohen for the hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels.

This new evidence raises a host of troubling legal and ethical concerns about the President’s actions in the White House and before. This check is dated August 1, 2017. Six months later, in April of 2018, the President denied knowing anything about it. In April 2018, President Trump was flying on Air Force One when a reporter asked him, quote: “Did you know about the $130,000 paym...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Michael Cohen’s house Testimony
• Copyright
• Contents
• The Charges
• The Plea Agreement
• The Court Proceedings
• The Congressional Testimony