A pair of top House Republicans are demanding the Department of Justice (DOJ) open up a criminal probe into former Trump attorney Michael Cohen for allegedly lying to Congress.
On Wednesday, the GOP chairmen of the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland calling on federal law enforcement to examine Cohen’s 2019 testimony to Congress as evidence of perjury. Lawmakers first made the criminal referral on Feb. 28, 2019.
“Cohen’s testimony is now the basis for a politically motivated prosecution of a former president and current declared candidate for that office,” wrote James Comer, R-Ky., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in the joint letter. “In light of the reliance on the testimony from this repeated liar, we reiterate our concerns and ask what the Justice Department has done to hold Cohen accountable for his false statements to Congress.”
Comer and Jordan outlined six specific times they say Cohen lied to federal lawmakers, including claims that he never committed fraud (Cohen pled guilty to fraud charges in 2018). Cohen was sentenced to three years behind bars following the guilty plea deal with federal prosecutors on charges of tax evasion, making false statements to banks, and violations of campaign finance laws.
Lawmakers said Cohen even admitted last year to lying to 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 [House Permanent Select Committee
