All of the White House’s nightmares are coming true as Michael Cohen explained to Congress how Trump directed him to lie in his previous testimony.
Trump tampered with a witness before Congress
Here was the exchange:
Q: Did the president in any way coach you in terms of how to respond to questions or the content of your testimony before a House committee?
Cohen: Again, it’s difficult to answer, because he doesn’t tell you what he wants. What he does is, again, Michael, there’s no Russia, there’s no collusion, there’s no involvement, there’s no interference. I know what he means because I’ve been around him for so long. So if you’re asking me whether or not that’s the message, that’s staying on point, that’s the party line that he created, that so many others are now touting, yes, that’s the message that he wanted to reinforce.
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Video:
At a minimum, Trump has committed the impeachable offense of witness tampering. https://t.co/MCda9JUjL0 pic.twitter.com/5xs6Cwnjkc
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) February 27, 2019
Trump’s meeting with Cohen was an impeachable offense
While much of the focus has been placed on the potential Trump conspiracy with Russia, a much clearer set of impeachable offenses occurred surrounding Michael Cohen. Even if Trump didn’t explicitly direct Cohen to lie, what was said at the meeting and the message delivered to Michael Cohen was a clear effort to tamper with a witness.
Trump was trying to shape Cohen’s testimony in a way that would benefit the president.
That is an impeachable offense.
The White House has been terrified of Michael Cohen because he knows where a lot of the Trump criminal bodies are buried. Cohen’s testimony by itself is not enough to impeach Trump, but he is providing evidence and an eyewitness account of offenses that could be an important building block toward articles of impeachment.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
