Trouble for Trump as Congress set to probe report he told ex-aide Cohen to lie

US President Donald Trump is in the news again and this time, the fiery leader is under investigation after reports revealed that he personally directed his ex-lawyer to lie to Congress about a possible Moscow real estate project.

The report by Buzzfeed news, citing two unnamed law enforcement officials revealed that Trump directed Cohen to lie to Congress by claiming negotiations over the project ended earlier than they actually did.

Published on Thursday, the report which Democrats have vowed to investigate also said that Cohen regularly briefed Trump and his family on the Moscow Trump Tower project – even as Trump said he had no business dealings with Russia.

The report comes a day after Cohen who earlier agreed to appear before a congressional panel on February 7, over numerous investigations of Trump’s business interests and his administration, reportedly said he is reconsidering his plan to testify.

Read also: US Senate hands Trump rare double rebuke over war in Yemen, murder of Khashoggi

That much information was revealed by Cohen’s attorney Lanny Davis who said his client is reconsidering his plan to testify because of intimidation by Trump.

“There is genuine fear and it has caused Michael Cohen to consider whether he should go forward or not, and he has not made a final decision,” Davis said.

In a Fox News interview on Saturday, Trump suggested he had damaging information on Cohen’s father-in-law. “That’s the one that people want to look at,” Trump said in the interview.

Davis said: “There is no question that his threatening and calling out his father-in-law, who – quote – has all the money, is not only improper and unseemly for a bully using the bully pulpit of the presidency, but the very definition of intimidation and witness tampering.”

He said Trump’s remarks “could be obstruction of justice.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now