U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary
05/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/08/2024 12:30
Chairmen Jordan and Comer Refer Michael Cohen to DOJ for Lying to Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-KY) sent a letterto Attorney General Merrick Garland referring Michael Cohen to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for lying to Congress. The letter reminds the Justice Department of Cohen's lies to Congress in February 2019 and asks what the DOJ has done to hold Cohen accountable for his false statements .
In a 2019 letter, Republican members cited six specific lies told by Cohen to the House Oversight Committee and urged the DOJ to take appropriate action. Last year, the Committees learned that Cohen separately lied again before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) in a 2019 deposition. Cohen's testimony is now the basis for a politically motivated prosecution of a former president and current declared candidate for that office.
Excerpts of the letter to Garland:
"As indicated in the 2019 letter, Cohen, while testifying under oath before the House Oversight Committee, made willfully and intentionally false statements of material fact that were contradicted by the record established by the Justice Department in United States v. Cohen. Cohen also made statements to the Oversight Committee that were contradicted by witnesses with firsthand knowledge of the subject matter. In particular, Cohen lied at least six times:
1. Cohen denied committing various fraudulent acts to which he had pleaded guilty in federal court.
2. Cohen repeatedly testified that he did not seek employment in President Trump's White House, despite evidence from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York demonstrating that 'Cohen privately told friends . . . that he expected to be given a prominent role and title in the new administration.'
3. Cohen stated that he did not direct the creation of a Twitter account known as @WomenForCohen, which is contradicted by statements from the owner of the IT firm that created the account for Cohen.
4. Cohen attested in his Truth in Testimony form that he did not have any reportable foreign government contracts, despite entering into two contracts in 2017 with entities owned in part by foreign governments.
5. Cohen's testimony at the hearing contradicted various aspects of his written statement submitted in advance of the hearing.
6. Cohen asserted that he committed crimes out of 'blind loyalty' to President Trump, which was contradicted by findings made by federal prosecutors and a federal court.
"In 2023, Cohen admitted to lying to Congress during a separate proceeding before Congress in 2019. At a hearing in the politicized lawsuit brought by the New York Attorney General against President Trump, Cohen admitted to lying under oath during a 2019 deposition before HPSCI. President Trump's attorney asked Cohen if he lied during the deposition when testifying about whether he was directed to inflate certain financial numbers, to which Cohen responded, 'Yes.' This revelation in court prompted HPSCI to refer Cohen again to the Justice Department for perjury and knowingly making false statements to Congress.
"Currently, Manhattan's popularly elected District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, is using Cohen as his star witness in an ongoing criminal prosecution of President Donald Trump. Bragg's case heavily relies on Cohen's testimony and credibility. Even more troubling, Cohen's advisor, Lanny Davis, boasted to Politico that Bragg's prosecution of President Trump all stemmed from Cohen's testimony to Congress in 2019. Davis confessed to calling the New York County District Attorney's office after 'Michael was sent to prison' because 'the evidence of financial fraud was on the record in the [congressional] hearings and that Vance's office should interview Michael . . . . And that's how it began.' In short, to prosecute President Trump, Bragg has revived this 'zombie' case relying on a known-and convicted-liar and his testimony at a congressional hearing in which he lied at least six times.
"Under 18 U.S.C. § 1621, a witness commits perjury if the witness 'willfully' asserts 'any material matter which he does not believe to be true' after 'having taken an oath' to 'testify . . .truly.' Under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, a witness commits a crime if the witness 'knowingly and willfully' makes 'any material false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation' with respect to 'any investigation under review, conducted pursuant to the authority of any committee. . . of the Congress.' Congress cannot perform its oversight function if witnesses who appear before its committees do not provide truthful testimony."
In a 2019 letter, Republican members cited six specific lies told by Cohen to the House Oversight Committee and urged the DOJ to take appropriate action. Last year, the Committees learned that Cohen separately lied again before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) in a 2019 deposition. Cohen's testimony is now the basis for a politically motivated prosecution of a former president and current declared candidate for that office.
Excerpts of the letter to Garland:
"As indicated in the 2019 letter, Cohen, while testifying under oath before the House Oversight Committee, made willfully and intentionally false statements of material fact that were contradicted by the record established by the Justice Department in United States v. Cohen. Cohen also made statements to the Oversight Committee that were contradicted by witnesses with firsthand knowledge of the subject matter. In particular, Cohen lied at least six times:
1. Cohen denied committing various fraudulent acts to which he had pleaded guilty in federal court.
2. Cohen repeatedly testified that he did not seek employment in President Trump's White House, despite evidence from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York demonstrating that 'Cohen privately told friends . . . that he expected to be given a prominent role and title in the new administration.'
3. Cohen stated that he did not direct the creation of a Twitter account known as @WomenForCohen, which is contradicted by statements from the owner of the IT firm that created the account for Cohen.
4. Cohen attested in his Truth in Testimony form that he did not have any reportable foreign government contracts, despite entering into two contracts in 2017 with entities owned in part by foreign governments.
5. Cohen's testimony at the hearing contradicted various aspects of his written statement submitted in advance of the hearing.
6. Cohen asserted that he committed crimes out of 'blind loyalty' to President Trump, which was contradicted by findings made by federal prosecutors and a federal court.
"In 2023, Cohen admitted to lying to Congress during a separate proceeding before Congress in 2019. At a hearing in the politicized lawsuit brought by the New York Attorney General against President Trump, Cohen admitted to lying under oath during a 2019 deposition before HPSCI. President Trump's attorney asked Cohen if he lied during the deposition when testifying about whether he was directed to inflate certain financial numbers, to which Cohen responded, 'Yes.' This revelation in court prompted HPSCI to refer Cohen again to the Justice Department for perjury and knowingly making false statements to Congress.
"Currently, Manhattan's popularly elected District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, is using Cohen as his star witness in an ongoing criminal prosecution of President Donald Trump. Bragg's case heavily relies on Cohen's testimony and credibility. Even more troubling, Cohen's advisor, Lanny Davis, boasted to Politico that Bragg's prosecution of President Trump all stemmed from Cohen's testimony to Congress in 2019. Davis confessed to calling the New York County District Attorney's office after 'Michael was sent to prison' because 'the evidence of financial fraud was on the record in the [congressional] hearings and that Vance's office should interview Michael . . . . And that's how it began.' In short, to prosecute President Trump, Bragg has revived this 'zombie' case relying on a known-and convicted-liar and his testimony at a congressional hearing in which he lied at least six times.
"Under 18 U.S.C. § 1621, a witness commits perjury if the witness 'willfully' asserts 'any material matter which he does not believe to be true' after 'having taken an oath' to 'testify . . .truly.' Under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, a witness commits a crime if the witness 'knowingly and willfully' makes 'any material false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation' with respect to 'any investigation under review, conducted pursuant to the authority of any committee. . . of the Congress.' Congress cannot perform its oversight function if witnesses who appear before its committees do not provide truthful testimony."
Read the full letter to Attorney General Garland here.
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